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The function of enzymes and their importance in organisms (800words)

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The function of enzymes and their importance in organisms (800words) With references. Focused on DNA synthesis, digestion and absorption in human beings and important role in the regeneration and regulation of neurotransmitters.









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Uploaded on
October 27, 2021
Number of pages
3
Written in
2021/2022
Type
Essay
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Unknown
Grade
A

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The function of enzyme and their importance in organism (800words)



An enzyme is a type of protein that creates a chemical reaction in the body in order to speed
up the rate of these chemical reactions in order to support life. They have important roles in
different compartments of the body, including breaking down food, DNA synthesis, control
of blood glucose and so much more. In this essay, some of these topics will be investigated.

The involvement of enzyme in digestion and absorption will be investigated. The main types
of digestive enzymes are amylase, protease and lipase. As the body is not able to absorb
large molecules like starch, enzymes are responsible for breaking down larger enzymes into
smaller molecules that are essential for the body in order for effective absorption. Amylase
is able to break down starch into sugars. Protease breaks down protein into amino acids.
Lipase breaks down dietary fat into fatty acid and glycerol. After breaking down into smaller
molecules, the body will be able to absorb them and circulate to the required area as
building blocks for essential substance in the body. These include hormones, which is
important for message transportation; fat, for energy storage; DNA synthesis, which is
essential in cell division. If a body has digestive enzyme deficiency, this can lead to
malnutrition. Malnutrition is when the body does not contain the right amount of nutrients.
This will lead to serious symptoms including sudden weight drop, wounds taking longer to
heal and a weakening of the immune system. It may even affect the person’s mental health
into developing an eating disorder.

On the topic of DNA and protein synthesis, some examples of enzymes that are involved in
DNA synthesis are DNA helicase, topoisomerases and single-stranded binding protein
(SSBP). SSBP has a very important role in the DNA replication in E.Coli. SSBP will link to and
stabilize single-stranded DNA during multiplication until it can be used as a template for a
new strand to bind to. To prevent the strands from re-associating, the SSB proteins attached
to both the lagging and leading strands, which then prevent reannealing. DNA helicase
enzyme has the function of unwinding the double helix for DNA replication, repair,
recombination, transcription, translation and many other processes. By breaking the
hydrogen bonds that connect the double helix, it means free nucleotide bases can be drawn
to the exposed bases and bind to them. Without DNA replication, each cell will lack
sufficient genetic material to provide instructions for the production of proteins required for
bodily function. Besides protein synthesis in human bodies, enzymes are important for
bacterial survival. Penicillinase is an enzyme in the bacteria that can resist penicillin, which is
an antibiotic under subclass of beta-lactam antibiotics, by hydrolysing the lactam ring in the
penicillin drug molecule. By doing this, this enzyme disrupts the internal structure of
penicillin and thus destroy the antimicrobial action of this drug, so that the bacteria will be
unaffected. Although this is a hurdle in human antibiotic development, it is a successful
protection mechanism for bacterial, which aids their survival and reproduction rates.

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