AP Biology 3.2 Environmental Impacts on Enzyme Function- Exam Style questions - FRQ
Question
Enzymes are important biological molecules.
(a) Describe how an enzyme interacts with a substrate.
(b) Explain the difference between competitive inhibitors and allosteric inhibitors of enzymes.
(c) An enzyme has its maximum efficiency at an optimum temperature of 25° Celsius. Predict what effect a decrease in temperature to 5° Celsius would have on the enzyme’s efficiency.
(d) Justify your prediction from part (c).
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
(a) Enzymes interact with a specific substrate that has properties (such as shape and charge) that are compatible with those at the enzyme’s active site.
(b) Competitive inhibitors bind to enzymes at the active site, whereas allosteric inhibitors bind to enzymes at the allosteric site.
(c) A decrease in temperature to 5° Celsius would decrease the enzyme’s efficiency.
(d) Decreases in temperature reduce the number of molecular collisions between the substrate and the enzyme, reducing the number of chemical reactions and the enzyme’s efficiency. Decreases in temperature may also alter the tertiary structure of the enzyme, altering its active site and reducing its catalytic ability.