WHAT are
enzymes?
Enzymes are macromolecular biological
catalysts, which are responsible for thousands of metabolic processes that
sustain life. Enzymes are also highly selective catalysts, greatly accelerating
both the rate and specificity of metabolic reactions, from the digestion of
food to the synthesis of DNA. Most enzymes are proteins, although some
catalytic RNA molecules have been identified. It exists in the form of specific
three-dimensional structure, and may employ organic and inorganic cofactors to
assist in catalysis.
HOW do
they work?
Enzymes act by converting starting
molecules into different molecules. Almost all chemical reactions in a
biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates sufficient for life. Enzymes
are selective for their substrates and speed up only a few reactions from among
many possibilities. The set of enzymes made in a cell determines which
metabolic pathways occur in that cell, tissue and organ.
Like all catalysts, enzymes increase the
rate of a reaction by lowering its activation energy. Most enzyme reaction
rates are millions of times faster than those of comparable un-catalyzed reactions.
Just as all catalysts, enzymes will not be consumed by the reactions they
catalyze, nor will they alter the equilibrium of these reactions. However,
enzymes do differ from most other catalysts for they are highly specific for
their substrates.
WHAT function
do they have?
Enzymes serve a wide variety of
functions inside living organisms.
l They
are indispensable for signal transduction and cell regulation, often via
kinases and phosphatases.
l They
also generate movement, with myosin hydrolyzing ATP to generate muscle
contraction and also moving cargo around the cell as part of the cytoskeleton.
l An
important function of enzymes is in the digestive systems of animals. Enzymes
such as amylases and proteases break down large molecules into smaller ones, so
they can be absorbed by the intestines.
l Enzymes
are also involved in more exotic functions, such as luciferase generating light
in fireflies. Viruses can also contain enzymes for infecting cells.
About us
Creative Biogene is a US-based
manufacturer and provider of genomics and proteomics products and services for
academic and governmental research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology
industry. The company offers a range of enzymes such as restriction enzyme,
polymerases, nucleases, ligases, and reverse transcriptase, nuclease,
phosphatase and kinase to perform the most commonly performed nucleic acid
modifications. To become the premier provider of innovative technologies,
products, unique tools and services for research discoveries and product
development in the areas of biological and biomedical research. Emphasis will
be placed on the manufacture and distribution of genomics and proteomics based
biological research reagent products of the highest possible quality, which
include nucleic acid, protein and antibody based research reagent products and
services.
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