2 – Control of Metabolism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses control of metabolism. Cells carry out the manifold chemical activities by which growth and metabolic functions are achieved. Enzymes are present in the cytosol, in membranes and organelles, they catalyze the interconversion of small molecules, polymerize to give macromolecules, and transport metabolites across boundaries. A large body of research is concerned with identifying and investigating the details of how various effectors act on particular enzymes. The intensive study of enzymes by in vitro methods has led to the most significant advances in understanding of the elementary processes in the cell. Kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of some enzymes has given detailed information on the reaction mechanism, the fundamental constants, the transition states, the solvation complexes, and the dynamics of the three-dimensional structure.