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The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. Almost all metabolic processes in the cell need enzyme catalysis in order to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life. [1]: 8.1 Metabolic pathways depend upon enzymes to catalyze individual steps.
Function: Amylase is an enzyme that is responsible for the breaking of the bonds in starches, polysaccharides, and complex carbohydrates to be turned into simple sugars that will be easier to absorb. Clinical Significance: Amylase also has medical history in the use of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT). One of the components is ...
Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthesis) serve as enzyme substrates, with conversion by the living organism either into simpler or more complex ...
They provide the structure of cells and perform many of the functions associated with life. [6] The chemistry of the cell also depends upon the reactions of small molecules and ions . These can be inorganic (for example, water and metal ions) or organic (for example, the amino acids , which are used to synthesize proteins ). [ 7 ]
The number of cells in these groups vary with species; it has been estimated that the human body contains around 37 trillion (3.72×10 13) cells, [7] and more recent studies put this number at around 30 trillion (~36 trillion cells in the male, ~28 trillion in the female).
The uniformity of both specific types of molecules (the biomolecules) and of certain metabolic pathways are invariant features among the wide diversity of life forms; thus these biomolecules and metabolic pathways are referred to as "biochemical universals" [4] or "theory of material unity of the living beings", a unifying concept in biology ...
Light micrograph of a moss's leaf cells at 400X magnification. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to cell biology: . Cell biology – A branch of biology that includes study of cells regarding their physiological properties, structure, and function; the organelles they contain; interactions with their environment; and their life cycle, division, and death.
They described this membrane-like barrier as a "saclike structure surrounded by a membrane and containing acid phosphatase." [18] It became clear that this enzyme from the cell fraction came from membranous fractions, which were definitely cell organelles, and in 1955 De Duve named them "lysosomes" to reflect their digestive properties. [19]