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Enzyme Substrate Model

This activity, revised from Access Excellence, is designed to demonstrate enzyme


substrate interactions.

Materials:

a partner (it can be a friend, sibling, or parent)


50 pennies placed tails side up for each trial
one stop watch
masking tape
a ball that will fit in your hand (golf ball, tennis ball, sock...)

Procedure:
Trial I
Use fifty pennies placed tails-side up. Have your partner time you for ten
seconds as you try to turn as many as you can from tails-side up to headsside up. At the end of the first ten-second time period, record the number of
pennies you turned in the Data Table and then DO NOT put them back in the
pile of 50. You will continue turning the remaining pennies in ten second
intervals. Each time, make sure to record your results in the table and DO
NOT return the pennies to the pile. You are finished when you have turned
all 50 pennies from tails-side up to heads-side up.
Trial II
Reset all of the pennies by turning all of them tails side up. Use the tape to
bind the four fingers on your turning hand together. This represents partial
denaturation of the enzyme. Repeat the procedure from Trial I by turning the
pennies one by one in ten second intervals. You may need to add more tensecond periods if you still have pennies to turn. Make sure you record your
data in the Trial II column of your data table after each 10 second period.
Trial III
Reset all of the pennies by turning all of them tails side up. During this trial,
you will have the help of a partner, representing the role of a coenzyme. Your
partner will pick them up the pennies and give them to you and you will be
responsible for turning them head side up. This last process by the helper
may extend beyond the 10 second interval. This means that if your helper
has a penny in their hand when time expires, you may turn it over and count
it as completed within the time period. As before, six time periods will be
used and data recorded into the data table.
Trial IV
In this last trial you will retrieve pennies as you did in Trial I, but you will be
handicapped by taping of a tennis ball or some other object to the palm of

the hand to be used. Obviously, this object may interfere with your ability to
pick up the pennies. The ball or object represents an inhibitor which is
competing with the place on your hand where you pick up the pennies. Try it
for six time periods and see what happens. Record your data after each time
period.

Data Table
Time Periods
(seconds)

Trial I

(# of pennies)

Trial II

(# of pennies)

Trial III

(# of pennies)

Trial IV

(# of pennies)

0-10

10-20

20-30

30-40

40-50

50-60

60-70

70-80

Analysis:

Make a graph to show the number of pennies turned over per time period for
each trial (I-IV). Use a different color for each trial and be sure to label each
axis and series appropriately.
1. In this activity, what was the enzyme represented by? the substrate?

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

the coenzyme? the inhibitor? The coenzyme was representing the


enzyme, helping the reaction and making it increase.
In trial I, why did the rate eventually decrease? What could have been
added to maintain the initial rate? The rate eventually decreased
because the enzyme was not able to do it all on its on at the rate at
which it needed to. To maintain the initial rate another coenzyme could
have been added like in Trail III.
If more substrate(pennies) were present in Trial I at the beginning,
would the initial rate have been higher? Why or why not? Probably so,
because if more pennies were present there would be more pennies
flipped in the beginning resulting in a higher amount or rate.
If we assume that the enzyme is represented by the hand, what
happened to the active site during Trial II? The hand was prohibited
from doing the job, the tape was covering the hand or enzyme from
doing its work, changing its active site. The enzymes site was
denatured and unable to react.
Why does an enzyme not work as well if it's active site is changed? If
the active site is changed on an enzyme it will not perform its proper
function because there is no real way for it to function without its
active site. If there is not site for the enzyme to react with or on it can
no perform is proper function as an enzyme, simple as that.
What environmental factors affect enzyme shape? Substrate
concentration, temperature levels, pH levels, inhibitor presences and
lack of activation can affect the enzymes shape and function.
What effect did inhibition have upon the reaction rate? The inhibition
had a consequently slow reaction with the enzyme. The inhibition
altered the enzymes reaction rate in the reaction, by slowing it down
and decreasing the rate.
How might chemicals affect you if they acted like the tennis ball

(inhibitor) during your bodily reactions? Enzyme reactions in your body


would take a longer time to react. The body can not function with a
decreasing reaction rate, because so many systems depend on their
enzymes to properly function. If the chemicals were tennis balls all the
reactions would slow down and cause the body to shut down itself.
Complete your work and submit it to the Enzyme Substrate Model dropbox.

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