Enzymes

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Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that catalyse reactions. The chemical reactants that enzymes bind to are called substrates.

Biological catalyst

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up itself is a catalyst.
Enzymes are proteins that catalyse biochemical reactions.
Enzymes can act inside or outside of cells.

Activation energy

For a chemical reaction to start, it needs a specific amount of energy. This amount of energy is different for different reactions.
- This is called the activation energy.

Activation energy and enzymes

Enzymes lower the activation energies of chemical reactions inside the cell to increase the rate of reactions.
Enzymes lower the activation energy by binding to the reactant molecules (substrate) and allowing chemical bond-breaking and bond-forming processes to happen more easily.

The active site

Enzymes catalyse specific reactions.
The active site has a specific shape for each enzyme.
Substrates with a complementary shape to the active site of an enzyme can bind to form an enzyme-substrate complex.
The shape of the active site is determined by the tertiary structure of the polypeptide.

Models of Enzyme Action

Models of enzyme action have changed over time. For many years, it was thought that enzymes worked in a lock and key manner. The induced fit model is now more widely accepted.

The lock and key model

The lock and key model was originally used to explain enzyme action.
The model proposes that the enzyme and substrate fit together perfectly.
- The substrate is a key fitting into a lock (the enzyme).

The induced fit model

The induced fit model suggests there is a more dynamic interaction between enzyme and substrate.
The model states that as an enzyme and substrate come together, their interaction causes a small shift in the enzyme’s structure.
The shift means that the enzyme and substrate can bind to form an enzyme-substrate complex and catalyse a reaction.
This model is now more widely accepted.

Enzyme-Substrate Complexes

Enzymes bind with substrates to form an enzyme-substrate complex in a specific fashion. The specificity of enzymes is determined by two things:

Active site

Every enzyme only catalyses one specific reaction.
Every enzyme has a specific active site that is complementary to the specific substrate.
- This jigsaw puzzle-like match between an enzyme and its substrates is what makes enzymes highly specific.

Environmental factors

The 3D, tertiary structure of the polypetide chain determines the shape of the active site.
Environmental changes can change the tertiary structure of the active site and can stop the enzyme from working properly.
- This is called a denatured enzyme.

1Biological Molecules

1.1Monomers & Polymers

1.1.1Monomers & Polymers

1.1.2Condensation & Hydrolysis Reactions

1.2Carbohydrates

1.2.1Structure of Carbohydrates

1.2.2Types of Polysaccharides

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Monomers, Polymers and Carbs

1.2.4Exam-Style Question - Carbohydrates

1.2.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Carbohydrates

1.3Lipids

1.3.1Triglycerides & Phospholipids

1.3.2Types of Fatty Acids

1.3.3Testing for Lipids

1.3.4Exam-Style Question - Fats

1.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Lipids

1.4Proteins

1.4.1The Peptide Chain

1.4.2Investigating Proteins

1.4.3Primary & Secondary Protein Structure

1.4.4Tertiary & Quaternary Protein Structure

1.4.5Enzymes

1.4.6Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

1.4.7Enzyme-Controlled Reactions

1.4.8End of Topic Test - Lipids & Proteins

1.4.9A-A* (AO3/4) - Enzymes

1.4.10A-A* (AO3/4) - Proteins

1.5Nucleic Acids

1.5.1DNA & RNA

1.5.2Polynucleotides

1.5.3DNA Replication

1.5.4Exam-Style Question - Nucleic Acids

1.5.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Nucleic Acids

1.6ATP

1.6.1Structure of ATP

1.6.2End of Topic Test - Nucleic Acids & ATP

1.7Water

1.7.1Structure & Function of Water

1.7.2A-A* (AO3/4) - Water

1.8Inorganic Ions

1.8.1Inorganic Ions

1.8.2End of Topic Test - Water & Inorganic Ions

2Cells

2.1Cell Structure

2.1.1Introduction to Cells

2.1.2Eukaryotic Cells & Organelles

2.1.3Eukaryotic Cells & Organelles 2

2.1.4Prokaryotes

2.1.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Organelles

2.1.6Methods of Studying Cells

2.1.7Microscopes

2.1.8End of Topic Test - Cell Structure

2.1.9Exam-Style Question - Cells

2.1.10A-A* (AO3/4) - Cells

2.2Mitosis & Cancer

2.2.1Mitosis

2.2.2Investigating Mitosis

2.2.3Cancer

2.2.4A-A* (AO3/4) - The Cell Cycle

2.3Transport Across Cell Membrane

2.3.1Cell Membrane Structure

2.3.2A-A* (AO3/4) - Membrane Structure

2.3.3Diffusion

2.3.4Osmosis

2.3.5Active Transport

2.3.6End of Topic Test - Mitosis, Cancer & Transport

2.3.7Exam-Style Question - Membranes

2.3.8A-A* (AO3/4) - Membranes & Transport

2.3.9A-A*- Mitosis, Cancer & Transport

2.4Cell Recognition & the Immune System

2.4.1Immune System

2.4.2The Immune Response

2.4.3Antibodies

2.4.4Primary & Secondary Response

2.4.5Vaccines

2.4.6HIV

2.4.7Ethical Issues

2.4.8End of Topic Test - Immune System

2.4.9Exam-Style Question - Immune System

2.4.10A-A* (AO3/4) - Immune System

3Substance Exchange

3.1Surface Area to Volume Ratio

3.1.1Size & Surface Area

3.1.2A-A* (AO3/4) - Cell Size

3.2Gas Exchange

3.2.1Single-Celled Organisms

3.2.2Multicellular Organisms

3.2.3Control of Water Loss

3.2.4Human Gas Exchange

3.2.5Ventilation

3.2.6Dissection

3.2.7Measuring Gas Exchange

3.2.8Lung Disease

3.2.9Lung Disease Data

3.2.10End of Topic Test - Gas Exchange

3.2.11A-A* (AO3/4) - Gas Exchange

3.3Digestion & Absorption

3.3.1Overview of Digestion

3.3.2Digestion in Mammals

3.3.3Absorption

3.3.4End of Topic Test - Substance Exchange & Digestion

3.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Substance Ex & Digestion

3.4Mass Transport

3.4.1Haemoglobin

3.4.2Oxygen Transport

3.4.3The Circulatory System

3.4.4The Heart

3.4.5Blood Vessels

3.4.6Cardiovascular Disease

3.4.7Heart Dissection

3.4.8Xylem

3.4.9Phloem

3.4.10Investigating Plant Transport

3.4.11End of Topic Test - Mass Transport

3.4.12A-A* (AO3/4) - Mass Transport

4Genetic Information & Variation

4.1DNA, Genes & Chromosomes

4.1.1DNA

4.1.2Genes

4.1.3A-A* (AO3/4) - DNA

4.2DNA & Protein Synthesis

4.2.1Protein Synthesis

4.2.2Transcription & Translation

4.2.3End of Topic Test - DNA, Genes & Protein Synthesis

4.2.4Exam-Style Question - Protein Synthesis

4.2.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Coronavirus Translation

4.2.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Transcription

4.2.7A-A* (AO3/4) - Translation

4.3Mutations & Meiosis

4.3.1Mutations

4.3.2Meiosis

4.3.3A-A* (AO3/4) - Meiosis

4.3.4Meiosis vs Mitosis

4.3.5End of Topic Test - Mutations, Meiosis

4.3.6A-A* (AO3/4) - DNA,Genes, CellDiv & ProtSynth

4.4Genetic Diversity & Adaptation

4.4.1Genetic Diversity

4.4.2Natural Selection

4.4.3A-A* (AO3/4) - Natural Selection

4.4.4Adaptations

4.4.5Investigating Natural Selection

4.4.6End of Topic Test - Genetic Diversity & Adaptation

4.4.7A-A* (AO3/4) - Genetic Diversity & Adaptation

4.5Species & Taxonomy

4.5.1Classification

4.5.2DNA Technology

4.5.3A-A* (AO3/4) - Species & Taxonomy

4.6Biodiversity Within a Community

4.6.1Biodiversity

4.6.2Agriculture

4.6.3End of Topic Test - Species,Taxonomy& Biodiversity

4.6.4A-A* (AO3/4) - Species,Taxon&Biodiversity

4.7Investigating Diversity

4.7.1Genetic Diversity

4.7.2Quantitative Investigation

5Energy Transfers (A2 only)

6Responding to Change (A2 only)

6.1Nervous Communication

6.1.1Survival

6.1.2Plant Responses

6.1.3Animal Responses

6.1.4Reflexes

6.1.5End of Topic Test - Reflexes, Responses & Survival

6.1.6Receptors

6.1.7The Human Retina

6.1.8Control of Heart Rate

6.1.9End of Topic Test - Receptors, Retina & Heart Rate

6.2Nervous Coordination

6.2.1Neurones

6.2.2Action Potentials

6.2.3Speed of Transmission

6.2.4End of Topic Test - Neurones & Action Potentials

6.2.5Synapses

6.2.6Types of Synapse

6.2.7Medical Application

6.2.8End of Topic Test - Synapses

6.2.9A-A* (AO3/4) - Nervous Comm&Coord

6.3Muscle Contraction

6.3.1Skeletal Muscle

6.3.2Sliding Filament Theory

6.3.3Contraction

6.3.4Slow & Fast Twitch Fibres

6.3.5End of Topic Test - Muscles

6.3.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Muscle Contraction

6.4Homeostasis

6.4.1Overview of Homeostasis

6.4.2Blood Glucose Concentration

6.4.3Controlling Blood Glucose Concentration

6.4.4End of Topic Test - Blood Glucose

6.4.5Primary & Secondary Messengers

6.4.6Diabetes Mellitus

6.4.7Measuring Glucose Concentration

6.4.8Osmoregulation

6.4.9Controlling Blood Water Potential

6.4.10ADH

6.4.11End of Topic Test - Diabetes & Osmoregulation

6.4.12A-A* (AO3/4) - Homeostasis

7Genetics & Ecosystems (A2 only)

7.1Genetics

7.1.1Key Terms in Genetics

7.1.2Inheritance

7.1.3Linkage

7.1.4Multiple Alleles & Epistasis

7.1.5Chi-Squared Test

7.1.6End of Topic Test - Genetics

7.1.7A-A* (AO3/4) - Genetics

7.2Populations

7.2.1Populations

7.2.2Hardy-Weinberg Principle

7.3Evolution

7.3.1Variation

7.3.2Natural Selection & Evolution

7.3.3End of Topic Test - Populations & Evolution

7.3.4Types of Selection

7.3.5Types of Selection Summary

7.3.6Overview of Speciation

7.3.7Causes of Speciation

7.3.8Diversity

7.3.9End of Topic Test - Selection & Speciation

7.3.10A-A* (AO3/4) - Populations & Evolution

7.4Populations in Ecosystems

7.4.1Overview of Ecosystems

7.4.2Niche

7.4.3Population Size

7.4.4Investigating Population Size

7.4.5End of Topic Test - Ecosystems & Population Size

7.4.6Succession

7.4.7Conservation

7.4.8End of Topic Test - Succession & Conservation

7.4.9A-A* (AO3/4) - Ecosystems

8The Control of Gene Expression (A2 only)

8.1Mutation

8.1.1Mutations

8.1.2Effects of Mutations

8.1.3Causes of Mutations

8.2Gene Expression

8.2.1Stem Cells

8.2.2Stem Cells in Disease

8.2.3End of Topic Test - Mutation & Gene Epression

8.2.4A-A* (AO3/4) - Mutation & Stem Cells

8.2.5Regulating Transcription

8.2.6Epigenetics

8.2.7Epigenetics & Disease

8.2.8Regulating Translation

8.2.9Experimental Data

8.2.10End of Topic Test - Transcription & Translation

8.2.11Tumours

8.2.12Correlations & Causes

8.2.13Prevention & Treatment

8.2.14End of Topic Test - Cancer

8.2.15A-A* (AO3/4) - Gene Expression & Cancer

8.3Genome Projects

8.3.1Using Genome Projects

8.4Gene Technology

8.4.1Recombinant DNA

8.4.2Producing Fragments

8.4.3Amplification

8.4.4End of Topic Test - Genome Project & Amplification

8.4.5Using Recombinant DNA

8.4.6Medical Diagnosis

8.4.7Genetic Fingerprinting

8.4.8End of Topic Test - Gene Technologies

8.4.9A-A* (AO3/4) - Gene Technology

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