Proteins Vocabulary

Catabolic Reaction

The type of reaction that occurs when a molecule is broken down by an enzyme

Peptide bond

The special bond links amino acids together

Coenzymes

Substances that cooperate with an enzyme to help it and its substrate fit together better

Non-essential amino acid

The amino acids that our bodies can manufacture or modify

Protein

Molecules that either form body structures or carry out bodily functions

Anabolic reaction

These reactions occur when smaller molecules are bound together to create larger ones

Substrate

The molecules that an enzyme acts on

Competitive inhibitors

A molecule that competes with the substrate for the active site(toxin/poison)

Active site

The location on the enzyme where the substrate attaches

Denature

When the enzyme loses its functional shape

Essential amino acid

Amino acids that must come from food s our bodies cannot make them

Enzyme

Globular proteins that act as catalyst and help reactions occur

Polypeptide

Many amino acids joined together

Metabolism

Is the sum of all your body’s catabolic and anabolic reactions

Activation energy

The energy required for a chemical reaction to occur

Induced fit

The alternation of the active site allowing the enzyme and its substrate to fit together better

Amino acid

The building blocks of proteins