CHM 4139 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Reaction Mechanism, Specific Activity, Molecular Modelling
Document Summary
Activity (1u = 1 mol of product per min) is used to report enzyme activity. Eg: 1 u of enzyme is the quanity of enzyme needed to produce 1 mol of product per min. This is important because the same number of enzyme molecules may not necessarily have the same level of catalytic activity. (esp if we were to use different batchs/mutants). Activity is condition dependent: ph, t, [s] n thus, reaction conditions need to be specified when reporting activity. n ideally, use conditions that are optimal for enzyme. Eg: optimal ph and t, and [s] >10 x km. Specific activity: activity normalized by the enzyme quantity(mass) u/mg. Provides information on the fraction of total protein that is enzymatic active. n tell us how pure the enzyme is. n fraction of total protein in your samples that are active enzyme samples.