HOW DO ENZYMES WORK?
Enzymes work by virtue of their shape. An enzyme molecule can be compared, in shape at least, to many short strings of pearls (amino acids) strung together. This long string folds in on itself as certain sequences of amino acids (pearls) are more attracted to each other than to other sequences, thus giving the enzymes a specific shape. At one point, on the surface of this string of pearls there exists something which looks like a keyhole. This is called the “active site” on the enzyme. When matched with its specific coenzyme (a vitamin, mineral, or trace element) this “lock” has the exact inverse contour of the “key” which is contained in the molecule of the enzyme’s “substrate” (the molecule that the enzyme wants to transform into a different molecule). When the substrate appears, it inserts the “key” into the “lock”. The molecular structure of the substrate is transformed into a different molecular structure, and both enzyme and the newly transformed molecue go on their merry ways.
In general, enzymes work as catalysts of biochemical reactions. A catalyst increases or accelerates the rate of a reaction. The thousands of chemical reactions that occur in our body every second could not happen without enzymes to speed up these reactions. For example, a protein can be broken down into amino acids in the lab without the use of an enzyme, but to do so requires extreme temperatures, high pressure, or very strong acids; conditions not compatible with life. Even with these conditions, it often requires hours to complete the reaction in the lab. Enzymes, in this case a mixture of proteases, can complete this reaction within minutes in water at normal temperatures. Another unique aspect of enzymes is that they facilitate the reaction without being destroyed or changed in the process. Because of this, one enzyme molecule could theoretically change an infinite amount of substrate if given an infinite amount of time. Increasing the amount of enzyme decreases the time required
Enzymes work by virtue of their shape. An enzyme molecule can be compared, in shape at least, to many short strings of pearls (amino acids) strung together. This long string folds in on itself as certain sequences of amino acids (pearls) are more attracted to each other than to other sequences, thus giving the enzymes a specific shape. At one point on the surface of this string of pearls there exists something, which looks like a keyhole. This is called the “active site” on the enzyme. When matched with its specific coenzyme (a vitamin, mineral, or trace element) this “lock” has the exact inverse contour of the “key” which is contained in the molecule of the enzyme’s “substrate” (the molecule that the enzyme wants to transform into a different molecule). When the substrate appears, it inserts the “key” into the “lock.” The molecular structure of the substrate is transformed into a different molecular structure and both enzyme and the newly transformed molecule go on their merry ways.
