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Please help! .. Explain why an enzyme is specific in the reaction it catalyses?

Asked Jan 15, 2011, 08:22 AM — 4 Answers
Please help me I am so confused

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Unknown008's Avatar
Unknown008 Posts: 8,147, Reputation: 3745
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#2

Jan 15, 2011, 08:48 AM
Could you tell us what you know about enzymes, so that we know how much we need to tell you?
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brunonair's Avatar
brunonair Posts: 1, Reputation: 10
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#3

Jan 15, 2011, 02:27 PM
Where you cam from
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rebeccaboggs123's Avatar
rebeccaboggs123 Posts: 9, Reputation: 10
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#4

Jan 17, 2011, 12:58 PM
Comment on Unknown008's post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknown008 View Post
Could you tell us what you know about enzymes, so that we know how much we need to tell you?
Well I don't no much only started the topic few days ago..they are 3d and made of protein that about it really
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Unknown008's Avatar
Unknown008 Posts: 8,147, Reputation: 3745
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#5

Jan 17, 2011, 10:19 PM
Okay, so you know they are made of proteins.

Now those proteins, they have been made from different amino acids, controlled by genes in cells. The 3D shape that the enzyme will take, the different amino acids the enzyme contains will determine what type of reaction the enzyme can catalyse.

This is because the different substrates/products have different structures. Each enzyme has one particular structure for one particular substrate/product.

If there was another enzyme present, the reaction would most probably not be catalysed at all, because the latter enzyme has a different structure which doesn't 'fit' the substrate/product and hence cannot perform the process.

You might want to read about the Lock and Key mechanism of enzymes.

In this analogy, the lock is the enzyme and the key is the substrate. Only one particular key can fit in the lock, a different one won't work.
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