In: Biology
In an imaginary pathway the intermediate E is a substrate of both enzyme 1 and enzyme 2, creating products F and G respectively. Intermediate E is present at 1.2 mM and the Km values for this substrate for enzymes 1 and 2 are 0.2 mM and 3 mM respectively.
Question: What would the effect of an increase in the concentration of E have on the relative populations of the products F and G?
Km (Michaelis constant) indicate the substrate concentration at which the chemical reaction catalyzed by an enzyme attains half its maximum velocity. Km denotes the affinity of enzyme for substrate. The lesser the numerical value of Km, the affinity of the enzyme for the substrate is more. Conversely, an enzyme with a high Km has a low affinity for its substrate and requires a greater concentration of substrate to achieve Vmax. Here, the enzyme 1 and 2 compete for the same substrate and their known values of Km for this substrate is 0.2mM and 3mM respectively and by the help of this, the metabolic fate of the substrate and the relative amount of rate of formation of products with the availability of substrate can be determined. The concentration of the intermediate E is 1.2mM. Enzyme 1 with a low Km relative to the physiological concentration of substrate is normally saturated with substrate, and hence act at a more or less constant rate, irrespective of the variation in the concentartion of substrate within the physiological range. So the increase in the concentration of E, will not affect the rate of formation of product F because enzyme 1 is already working a maximum. But enzyme 2 with a high Km relative to the physiological concentration of substrate is not normally saturated with substrate and its activity will vary as the concentration of substrate varies, so that the rate of formation of product G will depend on the availability of the substrate. Hence, with the increase in the concentration of E, the population of G would increase.