You will also find that, while much is known about enzymes, their innermost secrets of function have not yet been fully understood. Part of the goal of this section is also to introduce you to the formalism of the kinetics that describe the catalysis of biochemical reactions by enzymes. This will set up a way of looking at enzyme kinetics that will permit an easy understanding of enzyme inhibition. Examples include penicillin and the most recent research in AIDS drugs. Enzymes speed up biochemical reactions by using the structure of the protein to catalyze the biochemistry.
Enzymes carry the necessary properties to enable regulation of metabolic pathways.
Enzymes are often targets of drugs for inhibition of those metabolic pathways. Give an example. Answer the questions in writing that are listed at the beginning of this section. That will help you remember it. After understanding by what principles enzymes carry out their catalysis, it is important to understand how this catalysis is regulated.