MCQ2

Which of the following about enzymes are true?

1) Enzymes are specific 

2) All enzymes have only one active site

3) Competitive inhibition can be reversed via increased substrate concentration

A) 1 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 1,2 and 3

D) 1 and 3

MCQ

What is the primary structure of an amino acid polypeptide chain?

A) The amino acid sequence

B) The way the sequence fold on itself 

C) The way the chain interacts with other chains

D) None of the above

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CEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLZZZZZZZZ

The Cell

Greetings World The Earth Says Hello for it is full of life. Today we’re gonna talk about CELLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cells are our little babies that make every itty bitty nitty gritty teeney weeney tiny part of our bodies. These bad boys consist of the main following attributes:

1. Nucleus- Contains all genetic information that sustains life. This cool guy is the “daddy” or “mummy” of everything else. He codes some cool guys called *insert deep voice*…Proteins. These guys make other resourceful units that keep the cell going.
2. Cell Surface Membrane- This guy controls things that go in and out and is made up of phospholipid bilayer.
3. Mitochondria- T&TEC of the cell by powering the whole system together.
4. Lysosomes- “Clean up Crew” , removes all cellular debris and dangerous toxins, poisons.
5. Rough ER- Helps makes proteins as well as post translation modification occurs here
6. Smooth ER- Lipid metabolism, Fat synthesis and Cholesterol control.

I hope you enjoyed my cells in a Nutshell 

PH :D

Hello all welcome to another blog about the amazing world of biochemistry. Today we shall be talking about ph and enzyme activity. Now we all know there are different acidic conditions around the body, the mouth being neutral (ph7) the stomach (ph2) and the intestine (ph8). This is a difference in H+ ion concentrations. Now it can be said that all enzymes have a particular ph range with which they work best. However there must be drastic changes to the levels of ph in order to affect the rate of an enzyme reaction. So, let’s follow this easily. Rateèfunctionality of active site èthe shape of the active site èthe forces of attraction within the tertiary structureèhydrophobic interaction. Thus, there must be extremes of ph differences in order to affect the way the R groups interact hydrophobic and in turn, denature the enzyme.

Do hope that this little briefing on ph and enzymes was most beneficial. Till next time….

Enzymes and life

Greetings all, today i would love to talk about the ecstatic world of enzymes and their role in our lives. you see, we all live because of the products created at the end of biochemical reactions, however, these reactions are too slow and/or have too high of an activation energy.  in order to overcome such trials, the evolutionary process has developed proteins called enzymes. what these awesome guys do is provide an alternate energy pathway by lowering the high activation energy and thus allowing the reaction to proceed and hence sustain life. they are very specific in that they will only react specific substrates to give definite products and so eliminate side products. this is most useful as we do not want any unwanted products building up inside of us.

Hope you enjoyed enzymes in a nut shell 😀

Good ole Alpha helix

So here I am, 11:11 in the night and all I am is haunted by the Alpha helix structure of amino acids. This lovely secondary structure of twisting upon it self intrigues me. The different acids that link together  generate it’s primary structure, this in turn will relay the properties this chain will posses. now according to the guys in the lab, when the chain makes a complete spin, the result is that every 3.6 acids creates one revolution. Who spends their time doing such an investigation and how they figure that out, I may never know and such a complicated process I’d rather not hear of. But, none the less, when this revolves, the electronegative oxygen atoms forms hydrogen bonds with the peptide bonds approximately 3-4 residues away. This hydrogen bonding is the primary factor that stabilizes the whole thing.

There are some notorious acids with are not welcome to part take in the forming of the structure. These left out individuals include gylcine and proline.

Why?

Well the whole point of the Alpha helix is to have a spiral that can hydrogen bond with itself and achieve stability. Proline disrupts this because it is cyclic and so restricts rotation and thus prevents the helical nature that is intended.

Glycine on the other hand, having no R group but only an additional hydrogen causes there to be too much rotation and so can throw off the structure.

Hope this was of some help to you reading this 😀

Till next time…

Greetings world!

It has just come to pass the world famous carnival in the beautiful twin island of Trinidad and Tobago. A festive time celebrating the country’s history in more modern times. Through the vibrations of the music us Trini’s move and sway the the beats we ever worship so much. For two days it is a mass party that can be echoed through the streets and done well enough in the unforgiving heat of the Caribbean sun. Now being the warmblooded creatures that we are, tend to heat up, very fast! through every ‘jam’, every ‘whine’ every raise of the alcoholic beverage heat is generated.

So what does this say?

This heat is dangerous to us, more so the enzymes that control everything in us. For in each of us, enzymes are protein structures that controls all reactions in our cells.

But how does this heat relate to these enzymes you speak of?

In truth, for the enzymes to work i.e. catalyze the reactions , they must be of a specific shape, in order to collide with the substrates (raw materials for the reactions) to convert them into the finished products. Now heat, in this case that which is generated through the motions of carnival, is actually kinetic energy on a molecular level. It is the measure at how fast these atoms vibrate. So naturally the more heat, the faster these molecules move. The heat poses a threat when these molecules vibrate so fast, they begin to shake and vibrate out of shape. The individual atoms do not want to hold the structure in the precise shape it needs. This shape (which is specific to every different enzyme) must be kept the same if it is to collide with the substrates and make the end product. Thus, too much heat vibrates too much so the structure loses shape, which cannot react and thus cannot react……

So what can be these products?

These refined materials can range from hair colour to muscle mass to skin texture to the sweet tastes of your favorite candy.

Thankfully, we are engineered to sweat. Good ‘ole’ sweat. Comprising mostly of Urea and water this combine exits the skin via pores and carries with it the heat, out of the body, cooling it down to the optimum 37 degrees Celsius where the enzymes work at their best.

Till next time folks…….

Nice to meet you

Greetings world!

My name, is Michael and have been requested to create a blog to share my world of experiences in the fascinating field we call call Biochemistry. Born to a humble salesman and simple banker, I was born in Georgetown Guyana. Being privileged to have flocked abroad only to become a proud member on the University of the West Indies, hear I am before you, ready, eager, to share my world with you, that you may see what I see. Settling on the small island that is Trinidad I have found a new place to call my home.  Now being an only child has somewhat forced my hand to developed a many array of skills, among which music is my truest passion. What a graceful thing is is, this noise that we love so much. I’ve also found that the arts have always flabbergasted me over and over. A love for all the world is all I have and a passion to spread all the happiness I feel. It is what I am, and I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way.  But in truth the guitar whom I have so proudly named Skylar does get me through the hectic days of studies. None the less I do endeavor the few weeks to come of biochemistry.

Firstly I must give credit where credit is due and applaud my lecturer for insisting on this most unique method of teaching. An area of diverse teaching I have never seen before, but, I am still young and have much to live in the world to come. I do look forward to understanding the fascinating reality of what is. To see the beauty in everyday things that we learn from the simple sugars to the structures that breathe the life within us as human. To feel this world that lives within, this is the true beauty of biochemistry. The love to behold that we are not so little, that inside a thousand molecules ignite the fires that makes the world live, breathe.

Such is an honour to be here, on your screen to say all that I can say. And so, I look forward to our time to come. Till next time…