Enzyme Modelling

Interval Trial #1 Trial #2 Trial #3 Trial #4

(time in sec.)

1. 1-20 2 3 3 8

2. 1-20 3 3 3 6

3. 1-20 4 3 3 5

4. 1-20 1 3 3 6

5. 1-20 3 3 3 8

Total 13 15 15 33
(pennies)

Rate 0.13 0.15 0.15 0.33

(pennies/second)

Conclusions
1. Trial #4 with a second group member had the fastest rate.
2. The pennies represented the substrates in an enzyme catalyzed reaction.
3. Turning the pennies face up represented the substrates turning into the products.
4. The tennis ball represented a competitive inhibitor that was blocking the substrate
from binding to the active site.
5. The runner represented the enzyme.
6. The runner’s hand represented the active site

Discussion
7. Trial #1 represented an enzyme undergoing a regular reaction of turning substrates
into products with no inhibitors or activators because the runner (enzyme) would run,
pick up the penny (substrate binding to active site), and run it back to the starting line
and place it down, heads up (enzyme releasing product) with no obstacles or special
conditions. Trial #2 represented an enzyme with an allosteric inhibitor because taping
the runner’s hand represented a conformational change in the active site that would
block enzyme activity (made pennies hard to pick up). Trial #3 represented an enzyme
with competitive inhibition because the tennis ball made it really difficult to pick up the
pennies which represented a competitive inhibitor blocking a substrate from the active
site. Trial #4 with a second runner represented an increase in enzyme concentration.
This is because the second runner represented more enzymes and together the two
runners were able to pick up more pennies which represented more substrate being
turned into products.

8. The rate in trial #1 was not constant. This was because the runner could get tired and
get less pennies, then catch their breath and get more. Also, the runner could slip and
fall which would result in a much lower amount of pennies. Lastly, the runner was
changed for the last interval which made the results inconsistent. The initial rate could
have remained constant if the same runner was used for each interval, the runner was
given time to recover after each trial to prevent them getting tired and if there were no
accidents such as falling during the trials.

9. If there were more substrate in trial #1, the rate would remain the same because the
runner was only able to pick up one penny at a time and there were still many pennies
left over at the end of each interval, demonstrating that an increase in substrate, or
pennies, would have no impact on the rate.

10. If substrate concentration remains constant and the amount of enzyme is increased,
the rate of reaction is proportional to proportional to enzyme concentration.

Rate of Reaction per Enzyme

1.4
(products/second)
Rate of Reaction

1.05

0.7

0.35

0
0 1 2 3 4
Number of Enzymes
11. A fifth trial that could model allosteric regulation could be where the runner’s hand is
taped into a fist which would represent the conformational change that occurs in
allosteric inhibition.