enzymes

[asdfgh]

why do some ezymes [ in the stomach such as pepsin] function at a low ph?

[Poison]

Pepsinogen zymogen is activated by HCl and turns to active enzyme pepsin.

[asdfgh]

yea, dont really understand that..

[Poison]

Do you know what is zymogen and acitve enzyme?

[honee_v]

Some enzymes like pepsin are able to function at low pH generally because their structure are stable when pH is low. For instance when pepsin is exposed at higher pH (for example pH of 6.0) pepsin denaturation will occur but not at low pH (of about pH of 2.0). So this becomes the optimum pH for pepsin. Perhaps the reason behind this is because at low pH the amount of hydrogen ions are enough to keep the structure of pepsin fold properly. Thus this makes pepsin able to function properly at low pH.



^_^

[MrMistery]

jees honee_v, write entire words! if i didn't know biology i couldn't have made heads or tails of what you said..

[honee_v]

@MrMistery

ok i will
i only do that to sound cordial to everybody here...
i guess ive forgotten my motto... which is
when trying to please everybody ill end up pleasing noone...
thanks for reminding me..


^_^

[sachin]

Can protein toxins such as "hemolysin-d" be digested at low pH, if it self it increases the pH of stomach on intake?

[asdfgh]

that helps me, thanks.