Denaturation of proteins: Enzymes
A catalyst or a chemical produced by cells to generally speed up specific chemical reaction without changing the chemical reaction at the end of the reaction . Any of various proteins, as pepsin, originating from living cells and capable of producing certain chemical changes in organic substances by catalytic action, as in digestion. Supplement Natural proteins produced in tiny quantities by all living organisms (bacteria, plants, and animals) and functioning as highly selective biochemical catalysts in converting one molecule into another. Enzymes are essential to life because they speed up metabolic reactions to a very great extent, but do not undergo any change in themselves. In the industry they are used for degrading oil spills and wastes into harmless compounds, in cleaning fat (food) stains, and in fermentation processes to make alcoholic beverages. Enzymes are very sensitive to environmental conditions and function best only within a narrow range of temperature and acidity (pH) levels.
Enzymes are usually classified and named according to the reaction they catalyze. The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have developed a nomenclature for enzymes, the EC numbers. They are as follows:
The word enzyme was coined by a German physiologist in the late 1800's to name a digestive process that scientists had been observing. The word was later given to the actual agents discovered to spark the reactions, taken from the Greek énzymos, which meant "leavened."
Types of enzymes
The enzymes are proteins and they make a biochemical reaction more likely to proceed by lowering the activation energy of the reaction. The Biological catalysts are called enzymes. Based on the type of reactions that the enzymes catalyze, the enzymes are classified into following categories:
Oxidoreductases,
transferases,
hydrolases,
lyases,
isomerases,
ligases and
translocases.
The Oxidoreductases, transferases and hydrolases are the most abundant forms of enzymes.
Factors contribute to enzyme catalysis
There are following factors affect the rate at which enzymatic reactions proceed:
temperature,
pH,
enzyme concentration,
substrate concentration and
the presence of any inhibitors or activators.
Functions of enzymes
Enzymes catalyze the chemical reactions which are involved in growth, blood coagulation, healing, diseases, breathing, digestion, reproduction and other biological activities. According to biological aspects enzymes are instrumental substances to many functions in living organisms.
Properties of enzyme
Catalytic Property.
Specificity.
Sensitiveness to Heat/Temperature.
Specific to Hydrogen Ion Concentration (pH)