Name:

Enzymes

Enzymes are important biological macromolecules that do work in all living things. Plants,
animals and prokaryotes all depend on enzyme to break down large molecules or build new
ones. Enzymes are made up of one or more proteins, and proteins are made based on
information found in your DNA. Of course, there are even enzymes that make other enzymes!
Once a reaction has been completed the enzyme is free to be reused again and again in future
reactions.

In general, enzymes are a series of protein molecules (also called polypeptides) which must be
folded in a specific three-dimensional shape in order to function properly. Certain environmental
factors can change enzymes by breaking hydrogen bonds that maintain their specific shape.
These factors include things such as pH and temperature. If an enzyme's shape changes
significantly and it can no longer function, the enzyme is said to have become denatured.

Step 1
1. Molecule C is a large protein (or several proteins together) that we call an ENZYME
2. Molecules A and B are called substrate, and are usually MONOMERS or building blocks
of larger macromolecules.
3. Which of the four major biological macromolecules is C made of? PROTEINS

Step 2
4. Molecules A and B are now bound to molecule C’s ACTIVE SITE
5. When C is bound to A and B, it is an ENZYME-SUBSTRATE COMPLEX
6. Is molecule C breaking apart (decomposing) or building (synthesizing) a macromolecule?
BUILDING/SYNTHESIZING
7. If a solution is too acidic or basic, molecule C can DENATURE or change it shape so that
A and B will no longer fit.

Step 3
8. What will happen to molecule C now that the reaction is complete? IT WILL BE REUSED
IN ANOTHER CATALYSIS OF SAME MOLECULE
9. What are two things that affect how fast molecule C works? Ph AND TEMPERATURE
10. Molecule D is made of building blocks represented by A and B. If D represents a
polysaccharide, A and B would represent MONOSACCHARIDES
1) The enzyme pancreatic amylase is manufactured and secreted by the pancreas into the
small intestine. Pancreatic amylase breaks down starch into a smaller sugar.

Pepsin is an enzyme that is released by the stomach and functions to break down proteins into
amino acids.

The following graph shows the pH at which both pepsin and pancreatic amylase can function in
the body. If the pH of the body falls above or below the graphs for each enzyme respectively,
that enzyme will denature and no longer function. The higher the curve of the graph, the more
productive the enzyme.

Which of the following statements is true with

respect to Figure 1?
a) T or F : Pepsin and pancreatic amylase could
never function together in the same part of the
body at the same time.
b) T or F : Pancreatic amylase could function in
the stomach with a pH of 1-2.
c) T or F : The optimal pH for the functioning of
pepsin is approximately 8.5 to 9.
d) T or F: Pancreatic amylase is used in the
small intestine. Normally, the small intestine must be slightly acidic in order for it to
function.

2) Figure 2 depicts the activities of three

enzymes. Remembering that the average
human body temperature is 98.6oF (37oC).
Which curve illustrates the functioning of
human DNA polymerase, which functions in
the nucleus of cells?
a) Enzyme A
b) Enzyme B
c) Enzyme C
d) None of the above could represent the
activity of human DNA polymerase.

3) Which curve illustrates the functioning of DNA polymerase from a shark (Hint: the body
temperature of a shark is typically the same as water that surrounds it)(water temperature
average is 10 degrees C)?
a) Enzyme A
b) Enzyme B
c) Enzyme C
d) None of the above, since sharks, like all fish, do not contain DNA polymerase.

4) At what temperature would enzyme B be completely denatured?

a) 37°C c) 25°C
b) 15°C d) 50°C