2. Why is it important to eat protein?
Your body needs 20 different amino acids to make all the necessary proteins
Your body is only able to produce 12 of these amino acids on its own
The other 8 amino acids come from foods you eat that contain protein (meat, nuts, dairy products, beans, etc.) – These are called essential amino acids because you cannot survive without eating them

3. The bottom line about DNA…
No DNA = No Protein = No Cells = No Life
Reproduction is all about passing DNA from one cell to another and from one generation of organisms to the next

4. Note Sheet 14 - Enzymes

5. What is an enzyme?
Enzyme – a type of protein that helps chemical reactions in a living thing start and happen quickly
Catalyst – something that makes things happen and/or speeds things up
Enzymes are catalysts, they catalyze chemical reactions (they make reactions happen)

6. Enzyme Facts
Almost all processes in a cell need enzymes to occur at significant rates
Most enzyme reaction rates are millions of times faster than those of comparable un-catalyzed reactions
Enzymes are known to catalyze about 4,000 biochemical reactions
Many drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors

7. Reactions happen faster with enzymes

8. Pepsin
Ex. Pepsin is an enzyme in your stomach that helps you break down proteins into amino acids

9. Lactase
Ex. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down the sugar lactose into more easily digestible substances

10. Helicase
Ex. Helicase is an enzyme that “unzips” DNA by breaking the hydrogen bonds in between the base pairs

13. What is an enzyme?
Since enzymes are proteins, the instructions to build all enzymes are in an organism’s DNA
Organisms could not survive without enzymes – they make things happen

14. How does an enzyme work?
Each enzyme is specially built to either bring specific substances together making a new substance, or to break substances apart

15. How does an enzyme work?
Each enzyme is specially built to either bring specific substances together making a new substance, or to break substances apart

16. How does an enzyme work?
Each enzyme is specially built to either bring specific substances together making a new substance, or to break substances apart

17. How does an enzyme work?
Each enzyme is specially built to either bring specific substances together making a new substance, or to break substances apart

18. Lysozyme splitting a large molecule into smaller molecules

19. The Importance of Enzymes
Since the tight control of enzyme activity is essential for maintaining a balanced environment inside cells, any malfunction (mutation, overproduction, underproduction or deletion) of a single critical enzyme can lead to a genetic disease
The importance of enzymes is shown by the fact that a lethal illness can be caused by the malfunction of just one type of enzyme out of the thousands of types present in our bodies

20. Enzyme Inhibiting Poison
Alpha-amanitin, which is found in relatives of the death cap mushroom, is a potent enzyme inhibitor
It prevents the RNA polymerase II enzyme from transcribing DNA which brings about cell death

21. Enzyme Inhibiting Poison
Individuals who have ingested mushrooms with alpha-amanitin may not be aware for some time that they have eaten a poison mushroom because symptoms may not appear until 6 to 12 hours, or even as late as 48 hours
First symptoms include sharp abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and watery diarrhea or bloody stools. There is usually great thirst.
By the 3rd or 4th day, jaundice, renal shutdown, convulsions, and coma occur. Symptoms such as dilated pupils, stiffness of neck, and twitching of facial muscles precede convulsions and death