ABSTRACT
Production ...................................................................................... 16 1.8 Genetic Engineering/Protein Engineering and Cloning
Strategies ........................................................................................ 16 1.9 Enzymes, Classification, and Their Use ....................................... 18 1.10 Enzyme Kinetics .......................................................................... 20 1.11 Nucleic Acid Catalyst ................................................................... 26 1.12 Review Questions ........................................................................ 27 Keywords ................................................................................................ 28 References ............................................................................................... 28
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Enzymes are biological molecules synthesized in a living cell that are responsible for catalyzing all important chemical interconversions that occurs in a cell. They are biological catalysts that can greatly accelerate
both the rate and specificity of metabolic reactions, ranging from the digestion of food to the synthesis of DNA. Apart from its activity in the biological system, the enzymes are also capable of functioning (i.e., conduct catalysis) in vitro too. They can be produced in large amounts by microorganisms for industrial applications, and they are easily biodegradable; thus, they do not add to the existing load of other nonbiodegradable things posing a threat to the ecosystems present on the Earth.
