Inhibitor binding substrate specificity

Competitive inhibitors bind to specific groups in the enzyme active site to form an enzyme-inhibitor complex. The inhibitor and substrate compete for the same site, so that the substrate is prevented from binding. This is usually because the substrate and inhibitor share considerable stmctural similarity. Catalysis is diminished because a lower proportion of molecules have a bound substrate. Inhibition can be relieved by increasing the concentration of substrate. Some simple examples are shown below. Thus, sulfanilamide is an inhibitor of the enzyme that incorporates j9-aminobenzoic acid into folic acid, and has antibacterial properties by restricting folic acid biosynthesis in the bacterium (see Box 11.13). Some phenylethylamine derivatives, e.g. phenelzine, provide useful antidepressant drags by inhibiting the enzyme monoamine oxidase. The cA-isomer maleic acid is a powerful inhibitor of the enzyme that utilizes the trans-isomer fumaric acid in the Krebs cycle. 

Figure 11.9 A diagram of the active site of chymotrypsin with a bound inhibitor, Ac-Pro-Ala-Pro-Tyr-COOH. The diagram illustrates how this inhibitor binds in relation to the catalytic triad, the strbstrate specificity pocket, the oxyanion hole and the nonspecific substrate binding region. The Inhibitor is ted. Hydrogen bonds between Inhibitor and enzyme are striped. (Adapted from M.N.G. James et al., /. Mol. Biol. 144 43-88, 1980.)...

Substrates can affect the conformation of the other active sites. So can other molecules. Effector molecules other than the substrate can bind to specific effector sites (different from the substrate-binding site) and shift the original T-R equilibrium (see Fig. 8-9). An effector that binds preferentially to the T state decreases the already low concentration of the R state and makes it even more difficult for the substrate to bind. These effectors decrease the velocity of the overall reaction and are referred to as allosteric inhibitors. An example is the effect of ATP or citrate on the activity of phosphofructokinase. Effectors that bind specif-... 

Allosteric inhibitors bind specifically to the T state and make it harder for substrate to switch enzyme into the R state. 

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