AP Biology: Enzymes

Front

What is an enzyme?

Back

A biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms by lowering the activation energy.

Front

What is the active site of an enzyme?

Back

The specific region on an enzyme where substrates bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

Front

What are cofactors?

Back

Molecules that bind to enzymes and enhance their activity, often by helping to stabilize the enzyme-substrate complex.

Front

What is the primary function of enzymes in biological reactions?

Back

To decrease the activation energy needed for the reaction to occur.

Front

What are competitive inhibitors?

Back

Substances that compete with the substrate for binding to the active site of an enzyme, thereby reducing enzyme activity.

Front

What are allosteric inhibitors?

Back

Molecules that bind to an enzyme at a site other than the active site, causing a change in the enzyme's shape and reducing its activity.

Front

How do enzymes affect the activation energy of a reaction?

Back

Enzymes lower the activation energy, making it easier for the reaction to occur.

Front

What is substrate specificity?

Back

The concept that each enzyme only catalyzes a specific reaction or acts on a specific substrate.

Front

What is the lock and key model of enzyme action?

Back

A model that explains how enzymes and substrates fit together perfectly, like a key fits into a lock.

Front

What is the induced fit model of enzyme action?

Back

A model that describes how the active site of an enzyme changes shape to better fit the substrate upon binding.