AP Biology Enzymes Lesson

Copy & paste the provided link below into a separate internet tab to watch the review video about enzyme structure

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgVFkRn8f10

​Enzymes v. Concentration Analogy!

Imagine that your hands are enzymes and socks from the laundry pile are substrates that your enzyme hands can work on to create a sock-pair-chemical bond.

Now, in this scenario, all of the socks are the same size and brand so you don't have to search for matching pairs - they all match. Your job as an enzyme is to simply fold them together.

If there is only you and your one set of hands - you will have a rapid rate of sock-pairing when you first start because there are a lot of socks and it is easy to grab unpaired socks. As you work, however, your rate of sock pairing will slow over time as it becomes harder to reach/find unpaired socks mixed in with all the pairs. Eventually all the socks will be paired and your rate will have peaked and stabilized.
This is like ONE enzyme and MANY substrate molecules.

If there are many people and enzyme hands with few pairs of socks to match, the rate will be faster and level off more quickly.
This is like MANY enzymes and FEW substrate molecules

​Denatured enzyme:

​Normal enzyme shape:

If an enzyme is exposed to an environment that is not favorable... it will effect the chemical bonds that hold the protein enzyme together. When that happens....

The enzyme DENATURES!!!

Copy & Paste the provided link below into a separate internet tab to review how environmental factors can affect enzyme reaction rates.

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EDBlowVST0