Like any catalyst, enzymes are sensitive to solvent conditions. A recent study h

Question

Like any catalyst, enzymes are sensitive to solvent conditions. A recent study has focused on the effect of surfactant additives on the Michaelis Menten enzyme parameters k_cat and K_M of the alpha-chymotrypsin enzyme. This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of esters (scheme 2.1) and was studied in water and in water + surfactant, to produce two sets of data. Scheme 2.1: alpha-chymotrypsin enzyme catalyzes ester hydrolysis The student involved in this project got confused and forgot which is the k_cat and which is the K_M for each of the two sets of experiments. Help him out by placing the following two values for each experiment in the appropriate boxes in table 1. Based on the two sets of data above, determine which of the following applies (circle one answer for each line): In the presence of surfactants, the substrate binds more strongly to the enzyme: In the presence of surfactants, the ES complex reacts faster:

Explanation / Answer

2.4 a) Table;

solvent conditions                Expt. 1: water alone                           Expt. 2: water+surfactant

Kcat                                          27.1 x 10^3 s-1                                      4.72 x 10^3 s-1

Km                                            47.6 x 10^5 M                                        5.22 x 10^5 M

2.4 b)

- In the presence of surfactants, the substrate binds more stringly to the enzyme { Yes

- In the presence of surfactants, the ES complex reacts faster : No

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse L
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.