Abstract
The effects of structural features on various properties of enzyme systems are studied. Some of the effects are: in a homogeneous reaction, enzyme compartmentalization decreases the rate; in a heterogeneous reaction, compartmentalization increases the rate. The steady-state concentration of intermediates is larger in a non-uniform than in uniform systems. Periodicities do not generally occur in the common kinetic systems; they do occur in autocatalytic systems, but compartmentalization reduces their probability of occurrence. The conditions for overshoot are different for uniform and non-uniform systems. Multiple stable steady states are not a common occurrence among biologically typical reactions; they do occur in combined autocatalytic and surface systems (a mechanism for the gener position effect is suggested by this property). The local pH is affected by the enzyme aggregation as well as by the geometry of the enzyme structure. A 2-step system can give rise to the characteristic rate vs. pH curve, where the optimum is not necessarily at isoelectric point. The expression for the osmotic pressure inside a spherical particle is deduced. The pressure is shown to be dependent on the radius. The rate inside a cell particle is shown to be determined by the shape of the particle.
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Bierman, A. Studies on the effects of structure on the behavior of enzyme systems. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 16, 203–257 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478414
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478414