Question

Sulfanilamide is an antimicrobial drug that mimics the shape of an important substrate for a particular bacterial enzyme, thereby inhibiting the enzyme. This type of inhibition is known as A) feedback inhibition.

B) noncompetitive inhibition.
C) allosteric inhibition.
D) competitive inhibition.
E) excitatory allosteric control.

Answer 1

Sulfanilamide acts as a competitive inhibitor for an enzyme crucial in bacterial folic acid synthesis, which is essential for bacterial growth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question refers to an action mode of sulfanilamide, an antimicrobial drug which functions as a competitive inhibitor of the bacterial enzyme responsible for folic acid synthesis. Sulfanilamide mimics the shape of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), an important substrate for the enzyme, and thus competes with PABA for the active site on the enzyme. By blocking the substrate from binding, sulfanilamide inhibits the production of dihydrofolic acid, an essential component for bacterial growth. This specific type of inhibition where a molecule competes with the substrate for the active site is known as competitive inhibition.