AP Enzymes

Front

What is an enzyme?

Back

An enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions in biological processes.

Front

What are the main components of an enzyme?

Back

Enzymes are primarily made of proteins, which are composed of amino acids.

Front

What is the active site of an enzyme?

Back

The active site is the specific region on an enzyme where the substrate binds and the reaction occurs.

Front

How does the shape of an enzyme relate to its function?

Back

The enzyme is shaped specially for certain substrates to perform a specific reaction.

Front

What is a substrate in the context of enzymes?

Back

A substrate is the reactant molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

Front

What are products in an enzymatic reaction?

Back

Products are the molecules that result from the enzymatic reaction after the substrate has been transformed.

Front

What factors can affect enzyme activity?

Back

Factors include temperature, pH, substrate concentration, and the presence of inhibitors or activators.

Front

What is the optimal temperature for enzyme activity?

Back

The optimal temperature is the temperature at which an enzyme functions most efficiently, often around 30°C for many enzymes.

Front

What is enzyme specificity?

Back

Enzyme specificity refers to the ability of an enzyme to choose exact substrates from a group of similar chemical molecules.

Front

What role do enzymes play in metabolic pathways?

Back

Enzymes facilitate and regulate the biochemical reactions that occur in metabolic pathways.