What are Enzymes, and how are they organized?
Enzymes are protein molecules that control biochemical reactions. They set processes in motion and accelerate them. That is why they are also called biocatalysts. During the transformation of biological material, enzymes are not consumed and as a result, at the end of the reaction, the enzyme remains in its original form.
The German physician William Friedrich was the first to use the term "enzyme" and, since 1897, the term has been adopted by the scientific community to refer to all biocatalysts.
Structurally, all enzymes are constructed from amino acids. All protein components in our bodies originate from the same 20 amino acids and the specific sequence of amino acids determines the spatial structure of the enzyme.
The sequence of many enzymes and proteins make up the genetic information in DNA. Under the microscope, enzymes seem to act in a disorganized manner. But the seeming disorder has a method: the linkages between the amino-acid chains of the enzyme (peptide bridges) determine the nature of how an amino acid chain curves, winds, and how the enzyme ultimately looks.
Enzymes contained components that are not amino acids, are referred to as co-factors. An example of a co-factor is a specific vitamin. Without this specific vitamin, certain enzymes would not be able to function correctly. When this happens it is known as metabolic disturbance.
What are enzymes?
Enzymes can only fully develop under certain pH values and temperatures. They are very sensitive, and are typically destroyed to a large extent by our stomach’s gastric juice. Active enzymes play a crucial role in our immune system, since they regulate inflammation and control blood flow.
