Chapter 15, Problem 10P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

It should be explained that why, Rubisco from tobacco leaves collected before dawn had a much lower specific activity than the enzyme collected at noon.

Concept introduction:

In any enzyme, the activity can be inhibited if any small molecule or ion is bonded to it. This inhibition can be done either irreversibly or reversibly.

The competitive inhibitors can resemble with the substrate and so they bind to the active sites of enzyme while the uncompetitive inhibitors do not bind as substrate but it binds to enzyme site simultaneously with substrate. The uncompetitive inhibitors are reversible in nature.

Rubisco inhibitors are used in photosynthesis to assimilate the CO₂ by the carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-biphosphate.