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Related Concept Videos

Enzyme Kinetics01:19

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Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the rate of reaction. Several factors impact the rate of reaction, including the number of available reactants. Enzyme kinetics is the study of how an enzyme changes the rate of a reaction.
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Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis01:13

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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...
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Enzymes02:34

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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.
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The theory of catalytically perfect enzymes was first proposed by W.J. Albery and J. R. Knowles in 1976. These enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions at high-speed. Their catalytic efficiency values range from 108-109 M-1s-1. These enzymes are also called 'diffusion-controlled' as the only rate-limiting step in the catalysis is that of the substrate diffusion into the active site. Examples include triose phosphate isomerase, fumarase, and superoxide dismutase.
 
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Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular...
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Light-driven Molecular Motors on Surfaces for Single Molecular Imaging
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Micromotors Powered by Enzyme Catalysis.

Krishna K Dey1, Xi Zhao1, Benjamin M Tansi1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.

Nano Letters
|November 21, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Enzyme-functionalized microparticles exhibit self-propulsion and directed movement. These biocompatible motors navigate chemical gradients, showing potential for targeted delivery applications.

Keywords:
Enzymescatalysischemotaxisdiffusionmicromotorsmicroparticles

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Materials Science
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Active biocompatible systems are crucial for targeted drug and antidote delivery.
  • Enzymatic reactions offer a promising route for powering microscale devices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize and investigate self-propelled microparticles driven by enzymatic reactions.
  • To demonstrate directed movement of these microparticles along substrate concentration gradients.

Main Methods:

  • Polystyrene microparticles were functionalized with urease and catalase enzymes via biotin-streptavidin linkage.
  • Particle motion was analyzed using optical microscopy and dynamic light scattering.
  • Chemotactic movement was studied in a microfluidic channel with three inlets.

Main Results:

  • Enzyme-coated particle diffusion increased with substrate concentration.
  • Particles demonstrated directed movement up the substrate concentration gradient.
  • Enzyme-powered micro-motors showed controllable motion.

Conclusions:

  • Enzyme-functionalized microparticles can be engineered as self-propelled motors.
  • These micro-motors exhibit chemotaxis, moving towards higher substrate concentrations.
  • The developed system holds potential for applications in localized delivery systems.