Part II. Enzymes and Digestion
A.) You should have been surprised to read that salivary amylase survives the stomach to enter the small intestine with much of its enzyme activity intact. A) Why were you surprised, i.e., what is the expected fate of proteins in the stomach? B) Try to come up with some general possible explanations as to why salivary amylase doesnât suffer the usual fate of proteins in the stomach.
i)
ii)
B) Pancreatic amylase is absent in all newborn infants. Activity is present at only very low levels during the first 6 months of life, and doesnât begin to reach normal levels until about 9 months of age, yet most infants seem to do just fine without it. Suggest reasons why this is so (include a consideration of the components of the usual diet of newborns).
C) Although the disease is quite rare, malabsorption of dietary starch occurs in individuals with a genetic deficiency in pancreatic a-amylase activity. Although early infancy (until about 9 months of age) is generally unremarkable in these patients, they soon have serious medical problems. What do you think some of the symptoms and/or problems might be? Why?
Part II. Enzymes and Digestion
A.) You should have been surprised to read that salivary amylase survives the stomach to enter the small intestine with much of its enzyme activity intact. A) Why were you surprised, i.e., what is the expected fate of proteins in the stomach? B) Try to come up with some general possible explanations as to why salivary amylase doesnât suffer the usual fate of proteins in the stomach.
i)
ii)
B) Pancreatic amylase is absent in all newborn infants. Activity is present at only very low levels during the first 6 months of life, and doesnât begin to reach normal levels until about 9 months of age, yet most infants seem to do just fine without it. Suggest reasons why this is so (include a consideration of the components of the usual diet of newborns).
C) Although the disease is quite rare, malabsorption of dietary starch occurs in individuals with a genetic deficiency in pancreatic a-amylase activity. Although early infancy (until about 9 months of age) is generally unremarkable in these patients, they soon have serious medical problems. What do you think some of the symptoms and/or problems might be? Why?
