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Related Concept Videos

Enzymes02:34

Enzymes

Inside living organisms, enzymes act as catalysts for many biochemical reactions involved in cellular metabolism. The role of enzymes is to reduce the activation energies of biochemical reactions by forming complexes with its substrates. The lowering of activation energies favor an increase in the rates of biochemical reactions.
Enzyme deficiencies can often translate into life-threatening diseases. For example, a genetic abnormality resulting in the deficiency of the enzyme G6PD...
Enzymes and Activation Energy01:13

Enzymes and Activation Energy

The activation energy (or free energy of activation), abbreviated as Ea, is the small amount of energy input necessary for all chemical reactions to occur. During chemical reactions, certain chemical bonds break, and new ones form. For example, when a glucose molecule breaks down, bonds between the molecule's carbon atoms break. Since these are energy-storing bonds, they release energy when broken. However, the molecule must be somewhat contorted to get into a state that allows the bonds to...
Enzymes and Activation Energy01:13

Enzymes and Activation Energy

The activation energy (or free energy of activation), abbreviated as Ea, is the small amount of energy input necessary for all chemical reactions to occur. During chemical reactions, certain chemical bonds break, and new ones form. For example, when a glucose molecule breaks down, bonds between the molecule's carbon atoms break. Since these are energy-storing bonds, they release energy when broken. However, the molecule must be somewhat contorted to get into a state that allows the bonds to...
Mechanical Protein Functions01:58

Mechanical Protein Functions

Proteins perform many mechanical functions in a cell. These proteins can be classified into two general categories- proteins that generate mechanical forces and proteins that are subjected to mechanical forces. Proteins providing mechanical support to the structure of the cell, such as keratin, are subjected to mechanical force, whereas proteins involved in cell movement and transport of molecules across cell membranes, such as an ion pump, are examples of generating mechanical force. 
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze the...
Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis01:13

Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis

For many years, scientists thought that enzyme-substrate binding took place in a simple "lock-and-key" fashion. This model stated that the enzyme and substrate fit together perfectly in one instantaneous step. However, current research supports a more refined view scientists call induced fit. The induced-fit model expands upon the lock-and-key model by describing a more dynamic interaction between enzyme and substrate. As the enzyme and substrate come together, their interaction causes a mild...

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Multiplexed Single-molecule Force Proteolysis Measurements Using Magnetic Tweezers
10:08

Multiplexed Single-molecule Force Proteolysis Measurements Using Magnetic Tweezers

Published on: July 25, 2012

Triggering enzymatic activity with force.

Hermann Gumpp1, Elias M Puchner, Julia L Zimmermann

  • 1Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, LMU München, D-80799 München, Germany.

Nano Letters
|August 8, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers used force spectroscopy to stretch and relax enzymes, observing increased activity after force release. This reveals how mechanical force directly influences enzyme function at the single-molecule level.

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High-Speed Magnetic Tweezers for Nanomechanical Measurements on Force-Sensitive Elements
08:50

High-Speed Magnetic Tweezers for Nanomechanical Measurements on Force-Sensitive Elements

Published on: May 12, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Enzymology
  • Single-molecule biophysics

Background:

  • Enzymes are biological catalysts crucial for biochemical reactions.
  • Understanding enzyme dynamics and regulation is key to biochemistry.
  • Mechanical forces can influence protein structure and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct impact of mechanical force on enzyme activity.
  • To explore the conformational changes of enzymes under force using single-molecule techniques.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of force-induced enzyme relaxation and reactivation.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) with fluorescence-based methods.
  • Application of periodic stretching and relaxation protocols to enzymes.
  • Simultaneous monitoring of enzyme catalytic activity during mechanical manipulation.

Main Results:

  • Enzyme manipulation via stretching and relaxation protocols was achieved.
  • A higher probability of enzymatic activity was observed 1.7 seconds after force release.
  • Theoretical analysis indicated a multi-step cascade reaction for conformational relaxation, with a free energy difference of at least 8 k(B)T.

Conclusions:

  • Mechanical force directly influences enzymatic activity.
  • Enzyme conformational changes under force are critical for catalytic function.
  • This study establishes a novel approach for studying and manipulating biocatalytic reactions at the single-molecule level.