Question

The effect of a competitive inhibitor can be reversed by _______.

1) increasing inhibitor concentration
2) increasing substrate concentration
3) heating the reaction mixture
4) changing the pH
5) massaging the enzyme

Answer 1

The effect of a competitive inhibitor can be reversed by increasing the substrate concentration, allowing the substrate to compete more effectively for the active sites of the enzyme.

Step-by-step explanation:

The effect of a competitive inhibitor can be reversed by increasing substrate concentration. Competitive inhibitors compete with the substrate for the active site of an enzyme. As the amount of substrate is increased, it can outcompete the inhibitor, allowing more enzyme molecules to be active and catalyze the reaction. When the substrate concentration is high enough, the enzyme activity can return to normal, counteracting the inhibitor's effect.

A competitive inhibitor is structurally similar to the enzyme's natural substrate, which enables it to bind to the active site of the enzyme, thus preventing the actual substrate from binding. This binding is reversible, and when the inhibitor is dislodged, the correct substrate can bind again, allowing the enzyme to catalyze the reaction. This specific type of inhibition primarily affects the rate at which enzymes work.

Increasing enzyme concentration can indirectly affect the inhibition, but it does not reverse the effect of the inhibitor directly. Moreover, other factors such as temperature and pH can affect the overall enzyme activity but are not related to reversing the effects of competitive inhibition.