Resumen de Breaking Bonds versus Chopping Heads:: The Enzyme as Butcher
Enzyme catalysis is a core topic in any introductory biochemistry course. It is sometimes difficult for students to relate kinetic parameters from the Michaelis-Menten treatment to the actual behavior of the enzyme-substrate complex. Intricate aspects of enzyme activity such as allosteric regulation and cooperativity are even harder to assimilate. Likening an enzyme to an old-fashioned butcher (or fowl slaughterer) helps students visualize many of these abstract concepts and invariably makes them smile as well!
