Introduction Proteins are a type of macromolecule that is essential for living organisms as they have various structural, functional, and biochemical purposes. They are used for structural support, enabling organisms to move, catalyzing chemical reactions, transporting materials and regulating cellular processes (Purcell, 2016). Proteins are composed of distinct amino acids that are linked with peptide bonds. Proteins can be very complex since many combinations can be made due to the 20 unique amino acids that exist. Structure plays a crucial role in determining the function of proteins as there are 4 different levels of structure. Primary structure is a polypeptide chain of amino acids, whereas secondary structure is when proteins form into …show more content…
Activation energy is the minimum energy that is required to begin a reaction. As an enzyme lowers the activation energy, a reaction will be more likely to occur and will also speed up the chemical reaction. This is why enzymes are crucial since slow reactions are inefficient for the body. The process of catalyzing a reaction is very specific as an enzyme will only perform its task if the proper reactant is present. These reactants are referred to as substrates and an enzyme can only function if the substrate correctly positions itself into the enzyme. Enzymes have an active site that holds a particular shape in which only the substrate can bind to in order to start catalyzing a reaction. An active site could transfer electrons, remove hydrogen ions, or weaken the intermolecular forces to destabilize the substrate (Carter-Edwards et al., 2011). Once the substrate interacts with the enzyme, they form an enzyme-substrate complex where the bonds within the substrate break and release products (Brain, 2000). This is considered an induced fit where the enzyme adjusts its shape to accommodate the substrate. The flexibility of the enzyme is the property that allows chemical reactions to occur