Final answer:
The addition of a competitive inhibitor to an enzyme that undergoes substrate inhibition would initially decrease enzyme activity. However, as substrate concentration increases, enzyme activity may be partially restored until reaching a level where substrate inhibition comes into effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
Effect of Competitive Inhibition on Substrate Inhibition
In cases where enzyme activity undergoes substrate inhibition, the addition of a competitive inhibitor would impact the enzyme's function. Competitive inhibitors are structurally similar to the substrate and bind to the active site of the enzyme, preventing the substrate from binding.
This form of inhibition is reversible and concentration-dependent. Therefore, in the presence of a competitive inhibitor, if the substrate concentration were increased, it would out-compete the inhibitor, allowing for enzyme activity to be regained, up to a certain point beyond which substrate inhibition would again take effect.
In the context of substrate inhibition, the effect of competitive inhibition would initially decrease the rate at which the enzyme operates because it blocks substrate binding.
However, as the substrate concentration increases, the likelihood of substrates outcompeting inhibitors for the active site also increases, restoring enzyme activity to a certain extent, until substrate inhibition mechanisms begin to dominate again.