How does the different pH buffers affect activity of potato enzyme/extract?
Introduction:
Proteins are polymers that are made up of smaller units/monomers called amino acids.
There are 20 different types of amino acids, thus make up many different combinations in types, numbers of amino acids as well as their orders – an explanantion for why there are so many proteins. Every protein, due to various reactions of amino acids to each other, have its own three dimensional structures and therefore, function (Reece JB and others 2011).
Proteins are fundamental substance that perform various range of metabolism in the organism’s body such as fighting pathogens, sending signals, catalyzes reactions, storing substance, or acting as building blocks of body parts (Reece JB and other 2011). Proteins are grouped into four structures includin primary, secondary, tertiary, and quarternary. Primary structure of protein is composed of a single chain of amino acid without any foldings (The
Medical Biochemistry Page, 2013). However, most proteins are active under secondary, tertiary, or quarternary structures. These strucures involve foldings due to the attachment between amino acids including hydrogen bonds, disulfide bridges, and Van de Waals force
(The Medical Biochemistry Page, 2013).
Proteins could be denatured due to the effects of temperature or pH. A decrease in pH level causes the environment surrounding to have a more positive charge while an increase in pH level causes the surroundings to have a more negative charge. (Aune, Salahuddin,
Zalengo and Tanford 1967).
Enzyme is a type of proteins that, by decreasing the activation energy needed for a chemical reaction, can therefore gives a start to that chemical reaction. Either catabolic or anabolic reactions need an enzyme to occur (Reece JB and others 2011). Every enzyme has an active site (Reece JB and others 2011). Enzymes metabolism
Cited: October 22, 2013]. Avaiable from http://www.uni-leipzig.de/uspdu/docs/Protein%20guide_Storage_Working.pdf 6