Enzyme enzymatic reactions

Molecular shapes are known to constitute the basis for the specific action of enzymes. Enzymatic reactions with carbohydrates require contact between enzyme and substrate at two or more points.4 The contribution of molecular shapes to enzymatic reactions may, however, be greater than the mere determination of specificity. If contact between enzyme and substrate were to occur when the latter possessed an unusual, high-energy molecular shape the shape might provide the energy or drive which causes certain of the reactions to occur.5... 

A plot of equation 13.18, shown in figure 13.10, is instructive for defining conditions under which the rate of an enzymatic reaction can be used for the quantitative analysis of enzymes and substrates. Eor high substrate concentrations, where [S] Kjq, equation 13.18 simplifies to... 

Km for an enzymatic reaction are of significant interest in the study of cellular chemistry. From equation 13.19 we see that Vmax provides a means for determining the rate constant 2- For enzymes that follow the mechanism shown in reaction 13.15, 2 is equivalent to the enzyme s turnover number, kcat- The turnover number is the maximum number of substrate molecules converted to product by a single active site on the enzyme, per unit time. Thus, the turnover number provides a direct indication of the catalytic efficiency of an enzyme s active site. The Michaelis constant, Km, is significant because it provides an estimate of the substrate s intracellular concentration. 

Biotransformations are carried out by either whole cells (microbial, plant, or animal) or by isolated enzymes. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. In general, multistep transformations, such as hydroxylations of steroids, or the synthesis of amino acids, riboflavin, vitamins, and alkaloids that require the presence of several enzymes and cofactors are carried out by whole cells. Simple one- or two-step transformations, on the other hand, are usually carried out by isolated enzymes. Compared to fermentations, enzymatic reactions have a number of advantages including simple instmmentation reduced side reactions, easy control, and product isolation. 

A final important area is the calculation of free energies with quantum mechanical models [72] or hybrid quanmm mechanics/molecular mechanics models (QM/MM) [9]. Such models are being used to simulate enzymatic reactions and calculate activation free energies, providing unique insights into the catalytic efficiency of enzymes. They are reviewed elsewhere in this volume (see Chapter 11). 

This chapter presents the implementaiton and applicable of a QM-MM method for studying enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The application of QM-MM methods to study solution-phase reactions has been reviewed elsewhere [44]. Similiarly, empirical valence bond methods, which have been successfully applied to studying enzymatic reactions by Warshel and coworkers [19,45], are not covered in this chapter. 

T. C. Bruice and S. I Benkovic, Bioorganic Mechanisms, Vol. 1, W. A. Benjamin, New brk, 1966, pp. 1-258 W. P. Jencks, Catalysis in Chemistry and Enzymology, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1969 M. L. Bender, Mechanisms of Homogeneous Catalysis from Protons to Proteins, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1971 C. Walsh, Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms, W. H. Freeman, San Francisco, 1979 A. Fersht, Enzyme Structure and Mechanism, 2nd ed., W. H. Freeman, New York, 1985. 

The simplest type of enzymatic reaction involves only a single reactant or substrate. The substrate forms an unstable complex with the enzyme that decomposes to give the product species or, alternatively, to generate the substrate. 

The reactant is referred to as a substrate. Alternatively it may be a nutrient for the growth of cells or its main function may require being transformed into some desirable chemical. The cells select reactants that will be combined and molecules that may be decomposed by using enzymes. These are produced only by living organisms, and commercial enzymes are produced by bacteria. Enzymes operate under mild conditions of temperature and pH. A database of the various types of enzymes and functions can be assessed from the following web site http //www.expasy.ch/enzyme/. This site also provides information about enzymatic reactions. 

Enzymatic reactions frequently undergo a phenomenon referred to as substrate inhibition. Here, the reaction rate reaches a maximum and subsequently falls as shown in Eigure 11-lb. Enzymatic reactions can also exhibit substrate activation as depicted by the sigmoidal type rate dependence in Eigure 11-lc. Biochemical reactions are limited by mass transfer where a substrate has to cross cell walls. Enzymatic reactions that depend on temperature are modeled with the Arrhenius equation. Most enzymes deactivate rapidly at temperatures of 50°C-100°C, and deactivation is an irreversible process. 

The three most common types of inhibitors in enzymatic reactions are competitive, non-competitive, and uncompetitive. Competitive inliibition occurs when tlie substrate and inhibitor have similar molecules that compete for the identical site on the enzyme. Non-competitive inhibition results in enzymes containing at least two different types of sites. The inhibitor attaches to only one type of site and the substrate only to the other. Uncompetitive inhibition occurs when the inhibitor deactivates the enzyme substrate complex. The effect of an inhibitor is determined by measuring the enzyme velocity at various... 

Saturation kinetics are also called zero-order kinetics or Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Michaelis-Menten equation is mainly used to characterize the interactions of enzymes and substrates, but it is also widely applied to characterize the elimination of chemical compounds from the body. The substrate concentration that produces half-maximal velocity of an enzymatic reaction, termed value or Michaelis constant, can be determined experimentally by graphing r/, as a function of substrate concentration, [S]. 

If the velocity of an enzymatic reaction is decreased or inhibited, the kinetics of the reaction obviously have been perturbed. Systematic perturbations are a basic tool of experimental scientists much can be learned about the normal workings of any system by inducing changes in it and then observing the effects of the change. The study of enzyme inhibition has contributed significantly to our understanding of enzymes. 

FIGURE 14.12 The effect of temperature on enzyme activity. The relative activity of an enzymatic reaction as a fnncdon of tempera-tnre. The decrease in the activity above 50 C is dne to thermal denatnradon. 

The availability of substrates and cofactors will determine the enzymatic reaction rate. In general, enzymes have evolved such that their values approximate the prevailing in vivo concentration of their substrates. (It is also true that the concentration of some enzymes in cells is within an order of magnitude or so of the concentrations of their substrates.)... 

Modern variants are the enzyme-catalyzed and the transition-metal-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger reaction, allowing for an oxidation under mild conditions in good yields, with one stereoisomer being formed predominantly in the enzymatic reaction ... 

In the first publication describing the preparative use of an enzymatic reaction in ionic liquids, Erbeldinger et al. reported the use of the protease thermolysin for the synthesis of the dipeptide Z-aspartame (Entry 6) [34]. The reaction rates were comparable to those found in conventional organic solvents such as ethyl acetate. Additionally, the enzyme stability was increased in the ionic liquid. The ionic liquid was recycled several times after the removal of non-converted substrates by extraction with water and product precipitation. Recycling of the enzyme has not been reported. It should be noted, however, that according to the log P concept described in the previous section, ethyl acetate - with a value of 0.68 - may interfere with the pro-... 

Magnesium sulphate magnesium is an important cellular cation inorganic cofactor for many enzymatic reactions, induding those involving ATP functions in binding enzymes to substrate. 

Almost all types of cell can be used to convert an added compound into another compound, involving many forms of enzymatic reaction including dehydration, oxidation, hydroxyla-tion, animation, isomerisation, etc. These types of conversion have advantages over chemical processes in that the reaction can be very specific, and produced at moderate temperatures. Examples of transformations using enzymes include the production of steroids, conversion of antibiotics and prostaglandins. Industrial transformation requires the production of large quantities of enzyme, but the half-life of enzymes can be improved by immobilisation and extraction simplified by the use of whole cells. 

Pyridoxal phosphate mainly serves as coenzyme in the amino acid metabolism and is covalently bound to its enzyme via a Schiff base. In the enzymatic reaction, the amino group of the substrate and the aldehyde group of PLP form a Schiff base, too. The subsequent reactions can take place at the a-, (3-, or y-carbon of the respective substrate. Common types of reactions are decarboxylations (formation of biogenic amines), transaminations (transfer of the amino nitrogen of one amino acid to the keto analog of another amino acid), and eliminations. 

The response characteristics of enzyme electrodes depend on many variables, and an understanding of the theoretical basis of their function would help to improve their performance. Enzymatic reactions involving a single substrate can be formulated in a general way as... 

Improved sensitivity and scope can be achieved by coupling two (or more) enzymatic reactions hi a chain, cycling, or catalytic mechanism (9). For example, a considerable enhancement of the sensitivity of enzyme electrodes can be achieved by enzymatic recycling of the analyte in two-enzyme systems. Such an amplification... 

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