Question

A researcher identified a bacterial enzyme that is essential in the breakdown of glucose. The researcher wants to test a potential antibiotic that acts on the newly identified enzyme. She finds that glucose is indeed broken down at a slower rate when the potential antibiotic is present. Addition of a higher concentration of glucose does not have any impact on Vmax. Which of the following properly characterizes this finding?
a. The potential antibiotic may be a competitive or noncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme. These possibilities could be tested by adding more enzyme.
b. The potential antibiotic is a competitive inhibitor of the glucose-converting enzyme and could be an effective treatment for bacterial infections.
c. The potential antibiotic is a noncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme and likely changes the shape of the active site.
d. The potential antibiotic reduces the number of available enzymes and is, therefore, a competitive inhibitor.

Answer 1

Answer:

The potential antibiotic is a competitive inhibitor of the glucose converting enzyme and could be an effective solution for bacterial infections.

Explanation:

Enzyme kinetics mainly deals with the study of the rate of reaction of the enzyme. Different factors that can affects the enzyme rate are also studied in enzyme kinetics.

The competitive inhibitors of the enzyme do not show any effect on the Vmax value of the enzyme and binds to the enzyme only. These inhibitors do not have ability to binds with enzyme substrate complex. The increase in the enzyme and substrate concentration can remove the inhibitor affect.

Thus, the correct answer is option (b).