Textbook Question
List as many different categories of protein functions as you can. Wherever possible, give an example of each category.
684
views
Ch. 13 - Translation and Proteins
Klug10th EditionEssentials of GeneticsISBN: 9780135588789
Not the one you use?Change textbookSelect a different textbook
Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - Introduction to Genetics16
- Ch. 2 - Mitosis and Meiosis28
- Ch. 3 - Mendelian Genetics37
- Ch. 4 - Modification of Mendelian Ratios53
- Ch. 5 - Sex Determination and Sex Chromosomes32
- Ch. 6 - Chromosome Mutations: Variation in Number and Arrangement37
- Ch. 7 - Linkage and Chromosome Mapping in Eukaryotes36
- Ch. 8 - Genetic Analysis and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages24
- Ch. 9 - DNA Structure and Analysis38
- Ch. 10 - DNA Replication29
- Ch. 11 - Chromosome Structure and DNA Sequence Organization22
- Ch. 12 - The Genetic Code and Transcription36
- Ch. 13 - Translation and Proteins27
- Ch. 14 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Transposition34
- Ch. 15 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria22
- Ch. 16 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes37
- Ch. 17 - Recombinant DNA Technology27
- Ch. 18 - Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Proteomics30
- Ch. 19 - The Genetics of Cancer21
- Ch. 20 - Quantitative Genetics and Multifactorial Traits37
- Ch. 21 - Population and Evolutionary Genetics45
Chapter 13, Problem 18
How does an enzyme function? Why are enzymes essential for living organisms on Earth?
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that enzymes are biological catalysts, which means they speed up chemical reactions without being consumed in the process.
Recognize that enzymes function by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to proceed, making it easier and faster for the reaction to occur.
Learn that enzymes have specific active sites where substrates (the molecules they act upon) bind, allowing the enzyme to facilitate the conversion of substrates into products.
Appreciate that enzymes are essential for living organisms because they regulate and accelerate vital biochemical reactions necessary for life, such as digestion, energy production, and DNA replication.
Note that without enzymes, many biochemical reactions would occur too slowly to sustain life, making enzymes crucial for maintaining the metabolism and overall functioning of living organisms.
Verified video answer for a similar problem:
This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
Video duration:
54sWas this helpful?
Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Enzyme Function and Catalysis
Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required. They bind to specific substrates at their active sites, facilitating the conversion into products without being consumed in the process.
Recommended video:
Guided course
08:26
Functional Genomics
Specificity of Enzymes
Enzymes are highly specific, meaning each enzyme typically catalyzes only one type of reaction or acts on a particular substrate. This specificity ensures precise regulation of metabolic pathways in living organisms.
Recommended video:
Guided course
01:45DNA Proofreading
Role of Enzymes in Living Organisms
Enzymes are essential for life because they enable vital biochemical reactions to occur rapidly and efficiently under mild conditions. Without enzymes, metabolic processes like digestion, energy production, and DNA replication would be too slow to sustain life.
Recommended video:
Guided course
09:12Transgenic Organisms and Gene Therapy
Related Practice
Textbook Question
Several amino acid substitutions in the α and β chains of human hemoglobin are shown in the following table.
Using the code table, determine how many of them can occur as a result of a single-nucleotide change.
759
views
Textbook Question
Three independently assorting genes (A, B, and C) are known to control the following biochemical pathway that provides the basis for flower color in a hypothetical plant:
Three homozygous recessive mutations are also known, each of which interrupts a different one of these steps. Determine the phenotypic results in the F1 and F2 generations resulting from the P1 crosses of true-breeding plants listed here:
speckled (AABBCC) × yellow (AAbbCC)
845
views
Textbook Question
Three independently assorting genes (A, B, and C) are known to control the following biochemical pathway that provides the basis for flower color in a hypothetical plant:
Three homozygous recessive mutations are also known, each of which interrupts a different one of these steps. Determine the phenotypic results in the F1 and F2 generations resulting from the P1 crosses of true-breeding plants listed here:
yellow (AAbbCC) × green (AABBcc)
529
views