Question

Which step in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction was assumed to be negligible by Michaelis and Menten?

A. Formation of the enzyme-substrate complex.
B. Breakdown of the enzyme-substrate complex.
C. Formation of the enzyme-product complex.
D. Release of the product from the enzyme.

Answer 1

Michaelis and Menten assumed the rapid release of the product from the enzyme to be a negligible step in enzyme-catalyzed reactions, as it occurs quickly and does not significantly limit the reaction rate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The step in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction that was assumed to be negligible by Michaelis and Menten is the release of the product from the enzyme. Their model focuses on the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex and its breakdown into enzyme and product, but they posited that the dissociation of product and enzyme happens quickly enough that its rate does not significantly affect the overall reaction velocity.

In the traditional Michaelis-Menten mechanism, the following steps occur:

1. Enzyme (E) binds with Substrate (S) to form the enzyme-substrate complex (ES).
2. The ES complex then converts the substrate into the product (P), which is when the catalysis occurs.
3. The product is released, and the enzyme is ready to catalyze another reaction.

However, according to the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, the last step, which is the release of the product from the enzyme, is thought to happen so swiftly that it was not initially considered a step that would limit the rate of the overall reaction.