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The expression of genes is very complicated and is regulated by a number of things. Something that has a major effect on enzyme regulation and stability is temperature. Since enzymes are biochemical catalysts, made up at least partially of protein, they are sensitive in varying degrees to heat. Raising temperatures of the environment generally multiplies the degree of activity by the enzyme. Once an optimum temperature has been reached, however, temperatures that are too high will denature the enzyme it will loose its ability to function. Cofactors are agents that are necessary for an enzyme to carry out a transformation.
An apoenzyme is the enzyme without the cofactor and the holoenzyme is the active species made by combining the cofactor with the apoenzyme. The coenzymes are small organic molecules that are non-peptide in nature and are sometimes also known as a prosthetic group. Vitamins are small organic molecules that act as coenzymes although not all coenzymes are vitamins. A vitamin is a molecule that cannot be produced within the body and must be introduced i. e. through diet.
Another example of enzyme regulation is that of competitive inhibitors. If a reversible inhibitor can bind to the enzyme active site in place of the substrate, it is described as a 'competitive inhibitor. ' In pure competitive inhibition, the inhibitor is assumed to bind to the free enzyme but not to the enzyme-substrate complex. When a non-competitive inhibitor binds to the enzyme at the regulatory site, the shape of the active site changes so that it can no longer bind its substrate or catalyze the production of product. The enzyme will remain inhibited until the non-competitive inhibitor leaves the regulatory site.
The survival of organisms greatly depends on the regulatory mechanisms of the density of a population. The number of individuals per unit area (or volume) is the population density. Population dynamics are changes in structure resulting from reproduction, growth, energy gathering, dispersal and death of members of a population. In some populations, nearly all individuals survive for the potential life span and die almost simultaneously (e.
g. , human). In others, survivorship remains the same throughout the life span. In some others, survivorship of young individuals is low but survivorship is high for the remainder of the life span (e. g. , many marine invertebrates with planktonic larvae). Populations have the potential for exponential growth because the number born far exceeds the number which mature and reproduce. Expressed mathematically: G = (b-d) N where G is the rate of increase in number of individuals, b and d are the average birth rate and death rate per individual, respectively, and N is the number of individuals.
Interspecific competition refers to the competition between two or more species for some limiting resource. This limiting resource can be food or nutrients, space, mates, nesting sites -- anything for which demand is greater than supply. When one species is a better competitor, interspecific competition negatively influences the other species by reducing population sizes and / or growth rates, which in turn affects the population dynamics of the competitor. All of these facts are very important in the regulation of populations.
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Research essay sample on Organic Molecules Life Span
