Michaelis Menten Equation Summary
Michaelis Menten Equation Summary
Michaelis Menten Equation Summary
Except for initial build-up of [ES] at the beginning of the reaction (a few
milliseconds) the [ES] remains approximately constant until substrate is
nearly all used up.
So, although we can solve the above expression for [ES] as a function of
[E] and [S], even though we can monitor [S] at time "t", it is usually
much more difficult to measure [E] at time "t".
Therefore, the more directly measurable total enzyme concentration [E]T
- which is the initial amount of enzyme introduced to the system is
introduced.
From conservation of mass (at constant volume), it is easy to see that:
So, if we substitute
[E] = [E]T - [ES]
into our steady-state expression mentioned,
k1 (E)(S)= k-1(ES)+k2(ES)
the result is:
k1 [(Et)-(ES)](S)=k-1(ES)+k2(ES)
Rearranging the equation we obtain:
(S) [(ET)-(ES)]/(ES) = (k-1 + k2)/k1
where
(k-1+k2)/k1 = Km
Substituting Vmax and Vo in our boxed expression above gives the "usual"
form - termed the Michaelis-Menten equation:
Plots of 1/v versus 1/[S] yield straight lines having a slope of Km/Vmax
and an intercept on the ordinate at 1/Vmax.
This fact provides a simple yet powerful bioanalytical tool that has been
used to characterize both normal and altered enzymes, such as those
that produce the symptoms of genetic diseases.
In order to determine the amount of an enzyme present in a sample of
tissue, it is obviously essential to ensure that the limiting factor is the activity of
the enzyme itself, and not the amount of substrate available.
This means that the concentration of substrate must be high enough to ensure
that the enzyme is acting at Vmax.
In practice, it is usual to use a concentration of substrate about 10 - 20-fold
higher than the Km in order to determine the activity of an enzyme in a sample.