Download Macromolecules and Enzymes

Macromolecules and Enzymes
Enzymes
• Enzymes – biological catalysts used to speed
up reactions
• The reaction may still occur without an
enzyme present, but it is much slower
How do they work?
• Substrates – site where the reactants (what is
have a reaction) bind to the enzyme
• Active Site – site where the substrate binds
with the enzyme
• The enzyme does NOT change, but the
substrate does
• The reaction occurs, and the products are
released and the enzyme binds with another
substrate
Effect of temperature and pH
• The temperature and pH must be in check for
an enzyme to be used
• Sometimes that can be too high
• Sometimes that can be too low
• When the circumstances are too high or too
low, nothing happens
• When the circumstances are just right,
enzymes go to work and the substrates bind
Macromolecules
• Macromolecules – large organic molecules
made from smaller inorganic compounds
• There are 4 types:
• A. Carbohydrates
• B. Lipids
• C. Proteins
• D. Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates – composed of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen
• Includes compounds such as sugars (fructose,
sucrose, lactose), glycogen (broken down into
glucose), cellulose (found in plant cell walls),
and chitin (found in shellfish shells)
Lipids
• Lipids – made of carbon and hydrogen
• This includes fats, oils, steroids and waxes
• You also have these as part of the
phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane
Proteins
• Proteins – compound made of amino acids
• Amino Acids – molecules that have a carbon,
an amino group, a carboxyl group and another
variable group (there are 20 of these and 20
different amino acids)
Nucleic Acids
• Nucleic Acids – molecules that store and
transport genetic information
• DNA and RNA