Inhibitors - Physical Chemistry

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Question

Which of the following is true regarding competitive inhibition?

I. They form covalent bonds with the active site

II. They are reversible

III. They are similar to allosteric inhibitors

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Answer

Competitive inhibition decreases enzyme activity by binding to the active site of the enzyme. Recall that active sites are sites on enzymes where the substrates bind. Upon binding to the enzyme, the substrates undergo changes that facilitate and speed up the chemical reaction. A competitive inhibitor binds to this active site and prevents the substrate from binding. With no binding, the substrate will not undergo the necessary changes and, subsequently, the chemical reaction. A key characterisitic of competitive inhibitors is that the bond between the inhibitor and the active site is reversible. This means that the chemical bonds involved here are weak, reversible noncovalent bonds such as hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. Covalent bonds are very strong and are usually found in irreversible interactions.

Allosteric inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes at their allosteric site(s). In this way, the allosteric inhibiton is very similar to, and is a subset of, another type of enzyme inhibition, noncompetitive inhibition.

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