Enzyme

What are Enzyme? Enzyme is a protein compound that can be a catalyst of chemical reactions in living cells and tissues. Enzymes are organic compounds biocatalyst means that accelerate chemical reactions.

Initial molecule called a substrate will be accelerated its conversion into another molecule called the product. Type of product that will be generated depending on a condition or a substance, called a promoter. All cell biological processes require the enzyme to take place fairly quickly in a direction determined by the trajectory of hormone metabolism as a promoter.

The enzyme works by reacting with the substrate molecules to produce intermediate compounds through an organic chemical reactions that require activation energy is lower, so the acceleration of chemical reactions occur because of chemical reactions with higher activation energy takes more time

Action of the enzyme is influenced by several factors, mainly is substrate, temperature, acidity, co factors and inhibitors. Each enzyme requires a temperature and pH (acidity level) of different optimum because enzymes are proteins, which can change shape if the temperature and acidity changes. Inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity, while the activator is an increased enzyme activity.

Enzymes are also involved in several diseases as examples of phenylketonuria. Single amino acid mutation in phenylalanine hydroxyls enzymes that catalyze the first step of degradation resulted in accumulation phenylalanine and related compounds. This can cause mental retardation if it is not treated.

Source from: Wikipedia