Metabolism & Energy

Flashcards covering key concepts related to metabolism and enzymatic functions.

Metabolism

The sum of all the chemical reactions inside a cell, including both building and breaking down of chemicals.

Metabolic Pathways

A series of small chemical reactions linked together in a specific order.

Reactants

Starting chemicals in a chemical reaction.

Activation Energy

The minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur.

Enzymes

Substances (usually proteins) that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed.

Substrate Specificity

The ability of an enzyme to catalyze only specific reactions by fitting only certain molecules into its active site.

Competitive Inhibition

Occurs when a molecule resembles the usual substrate and binds to the enzyme's active site, preventing the enzyme from catalyzing the reaction.

Non-competitive Inhibition

Occurs when an inhibitor binds to a site on the enzyme other than the active site, changing the enzyme's shape and inhibiting its function.

Cofactors

Non-protein helper molecules that assist enzymes in their activity.

Coenzymes

Organic molecules that function as cofactors, often derived from vitamins.

Feedback Inhibition

A regulatory mechanism where the end product of a metabolic pathway inhibits an earlier step in the pathway to prevent overproduction.

Vmax

The maximum rate of reaction when all enzyme active sites are occupied by substrate.