Download DO NOW Monday 2/12

Enzyme Structure and Function
Why do we study molecules in biology?
Review the large molecules of life:
break down into
break down into
break down into
Large molecules in food are broken down
into smaller molecules to:
– Provide energy to the body
– Provide building blocks to make new
molecules
Enzymes
Are specialized proteins that help:
– Catalyze (“speed up”) reactions
– Break down molecules
– Build up new molecules
And can be affected by changes in the enzyme’s
environment – their activity or effectiveness
Enzymes are specific in how they work!
– Substrate
– Active Site
For the audio-visual learners…
• Enzyme video clip from Bozeman Biology
• The enzyme song!
• Enzymes lower the activation energy of a
chemical reaction.
• Activation energy is the amount of energy
it takes for a reaction to “go”
• Inhibitors can get in
the way!
• These are molecules
that interfere with
enzyme function.
– Competitive Inhibitors
– Non-competitive
Inhibitors (“allosteric”)
• Can slow the work of
enzymes, or stop it
altogether.
Enzyme Structure and Function
Your Tasks/Homework
• Read text excerpts,
– A specific enzyme catalyzes each cellular
reaction
– Enzyme inhibitors block enzyme action and
can regulate enzyme activity in a cell
• Answer follow-up questions on sheet
Respond to these questions in
the spaces below.
• What does “induced fit” refer to, when talking about
enzymes?
• Explain how an enzyme speeds up a specific reaction.
• What does it mean to be an optimal condition for an
enzyme”?
• List 2 optimal enzyme conditions for humans.
• Compare and contrast cofactors and coenzymes.
• Compare and contrast competitive inhibitors and noncompetitive inhibitors.
• What is the advantage of feedback inhibition to a cell?
Label where enzymes
are produced
Quick Review!
From essay, What Happens to the Food You Eat?
1. Why is saliva an important component of the
digestive system?
2. Explain what happens to food as it passes
through the stomach into the small intestine.
3. Why is chewing food such an important function to
digestion?
4. How are large molecules broken down into
smaller ones?
You Are What You Eat!