Final answer:
An enzyme denatures when its structure is altered due to factors like high temperature, which causes it to lose its functional shape and become nonfunctional. This is detrimental to biological processes that rely on enzyme activity. High temperatures are a key environmental factor that can lead to enzyme denaturation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an enzyme denatures, its three-dimensional structure is altered, rendering it nonfunctional. Enzymes are catalysts that speed up reactions by providing an active site perfectly shaped to bind specific substrates. However, environmental factors such as temperature can disrupt these shapes. Denaturing means the enzyme loses its shape and therefore its ability to function correctly. This is bad because enzymes are crucial for facilitating nearly all biochemical reactions in the body. Without functional enzymes, processes such as digestion, respiration, and muscle contractions would become inefficient or cease altogether, which could be lethal.
One environmental factor that can cause enzymes to denature is high temperature. Above optimal temperature ranges, high temperatures will cause the weak chemical bonds that maintain an enzyme's shape to break, leading to denaturation and loss of function. An example of this is when an egg white changes from clear to opaque when heated; the albumin proteins in the egg white denature and solidify.