ABSTRACT
Nature has evolved a host of proteins that catalyze the chemical reactions necessary to sustain life. These biological catalysts are called enzymes, and a given enzyme catalyzes a specic reaction (or subset of reactions). In addition to enhancing the rates of the reactions by orders of magnitudes, enzymes must conform to a strict set of operating conditions. Enzymes must operate in the cell’s complex matrix of biomolecules, select for only the proper substrate on which to act, function under
4.1 Enzymes.......................................................................................................... 83 4.1.1 Nature’s Remarkable Catalysts ...........................................................85
