The type and the sequence of amino acids in an enzyme protein are encoded by the DNA in the cell that produces them. While not all enzymes are proteins, not all proteins are enzymes as well. Enzymes that are not proteinaceous in nature are exemplified by ribozymes. A ribozyme is an enzyme made of RNA rather than a protein. An example of a ribozyme is in the ribosome, which is a complex of protein and catalytic RNA units.
Enzymes are often globular. They may occur singly or as a subunit in a complex. They are often larger than their substrates. While large relative to their substrates, only a small portion of an enzyme is directly involved in catalysis.
This site involved in catalysis is referred to as the catalytic site. Another site in an enzyme structure is the binding site through which the substrate reacts or binds to. The allosteric site of the enzyme refers to the site where another molecule can bind to causing the enzyme to change its conformation, which then leads to its increase or decrease in its activity. There are two major types of molecules that modulate enzyme activity: 1 inhibitors and 2 activators.
Inhibitors are molecules that inhibit or decrease enzymatic activity. Activators are molecules that stimulate or increase enzymatic activity. Others that can affect the activity of enzymes are the denaturants chaotropic agents. Exposure to temperature and pH beyond the optimal conditions lead to the denaturation of the enzyme. Denaturation causes the enzyme to lose its structure and catalytic properties. The structure of the enzyme is crucial to its function.
Salmon, trout, and tuna are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are important in brain function and normal growth and development. They may also prevent heart disease and reduce the risk of cancer. Like carbohydrates, fats have received a lot of bad publicity.
However, fats do have important functions. Fats serve as long-term energy storage. They also provide insulation for the body. Phospholipids are the major constituent of the plasma membrane. Like fats, they are composed of fatty acid chains attached to a glycerol or similar backbone. Instead of three fatty acids attached, however, there are two fatty acids and the third carbon of the glycerol backbone is bound to a phosphate group.
The phosphate group is modified by the addition of an alcohol. A phospholipid has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. The fatty acid chains are hydrophobic and exclude themselves from water, whereas the phosphate is hydrophilic and interacts with water. Cells are surrounded by a membrane, which has a bilayer of phospholipids. The fatty acids of phospholipids face inside, away from water, whereas the phosphate group can face either the outside environment or the inside of the cell, which are both aqueous.
Because fat is the most calorie dense food and having a storable, high calorie compact energy source would be important to survival. The nature of its fat also made it an important trade good. Like salmon, ooligan returns to its birth stream after years at sea. Its arrival in the early spring made it the first fresh food of the year. As you learned above all fats are hydrophobic water hating.
To isolate the fat, the fish is boiled and the floating fat skimmed off. Importantly it is a solid grease at room temperature. Because it is low in polyunsaturated fats which oxidize and spoil quickly it can be stored for later use and used as a trade item.
Its composition is said to make it as healthy as olive oil, or better as it has omega 3 fatty acids that reduce risk for diabetes and stroke. It also is rich in three fat soluble vitamins A, E and K. Unlike the phospholipids and fats discussed earlier, steroids have a ring structure.
Although they do not resemble other lipids, they are grouped with them because they are also hydrophobic. All steroids have four, linked carbon rings and several of them, like cholesterol, have a short tail. Cholesterol is a steroid. Cholesterol is mainly synthesized in the liver and is the precursor of many steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol.
It is also the precursor of vitamins E and K. Cholesterol is the precursor of bile salts, which help in the breakdown of fats and their subsequent absorption by cells. Although cholesterol is often spoken of in negative terms, it is necessary for the proper functioning of the body. It is a key component of the plasma membranes of animal cells. Waxes are made up of a hydrocarbon chain with an alcohol —OH group and a fatty acid.
Examples of animal waxes include beeswax and lanolin. Plants also have waxes, such as the coating on their leaves, that helps prevent them from drying out. Proteins are one of the most abundant organic molecules in living systems and have the most diverse range of functions of all macromolecules. Proteins may be structural, regulatory, contractile, or protective; they may serve in transport, storage, or membranes; or they may be toxins or enzymes.
Each cell in a living system may contain thousands of different proteins, each with a unique function. Their structures, like their functions, vary greatly. They are all, however, polymers of amino acids, arranged in a linear sequence. The functions of proteins are very diverse because there are 20 different chemically distinct amino acids that form long chains, and the amino acids can be in any order.
For example, proteins can function as enzymes or hormones. Enzymes , which are produced by living cells, are catalysts in biochemical reactions like digestion and are usually proteins. Each enzyme is specific for the substrate a reactant that binds to an enzyme upon which it acts. Enzymes can function to break molecular bonds, to rearrange bonds, or to form new bonds.
An example of an enzyme is salivary amylase, which breaks down amylose, a component of starch. Hormones are chemical signaling molecules, usually proteins or steroids, secreted by an endocrine gland or group of endocrine cells that act to control or regulate specific physiological processes, including growth, development, metabolism, and reproduction.
For example, insulin is a protein hormone that maintains blood glucose levels. Proteins have different shapes and molecular weights; some proteins are globular in shape whereas others are fibrous in nature. For example, hemoglobin is a globular protein, but collagen, found in our skin, is a fibrous protein.
Protein shape is critical to its function. Changes in temperature, pH, and exposure to chemicals may lead to permanent changes in the shape of the protein, leading to a loss of function or denaturation to be discussed in more detail later. All proteins are made up of different arrangements of the same 20 kinds of amino acids.
Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins. Each amino acid has the same fundamental structure, which consists of a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group —NH 2 , a carboxyl group —COOH , and a hydrogen atom. Every amino acid also has another variable atom or group of atoms bonded to the central carbon atom known as the R group. The R group is the only difference in structure between the 20 amino acids; otherwise, the amino acids are identical.
The chemical nature of the R group determines the chemical nature of the amino acid within its protein that is, whether it is acidic, basic, polar, or nonpolar. Each amino acid is attached to another amino acid by a covalent bond, known as a peptide bond, which is formed by a dehydration reaction.
The carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of a second amino acid combine, releasing a water molecule. The resulting bond is the peptide bond. The products formed by such a linkage are called polypeptides. While the terms polypeptide and protein are sometimes used interchangeably, a polypeptide is technically a polymer of amino acids, whereas the term protein is used for a polypeptide or polypeptides that have combined together, have a distinct shape, and have a unique function.
The Evolutionary Significance of Cytochrome cCytochrome c is an important component of the molecular machinery that harvests energy from glucose. Other enzymes help bind two molecules together to produce a new molecule.
Enzymes are highly selective catalysts, meaning that each enzyme only speeds up a specific reaction. The molecules that an enzyme works with are called substrates. This makes enzymes highly specific — each type of enzyme can catalyse only one type of reaction or just a few types of reactions. The diagram shows how this works. In this example, the enzyme splits one molecule into two smaller ones, but other enzymes join small molecules together to make a larger one. If the shape of the enzyme changes, its active site may no longer work.
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