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Chapter 5: Problem 2

If you wanted to inhibit an enzyme in a microorganism that is also in humans, what approaches would you take in your research?

Short Answer

Expert verified
To inhibit an enzyme in a microorganism that is also in humans, one would need to study the molecular structure of the enzyme, identify its function in the host and microorganism, observe potential differences between species, test selective inhibition, and assess each potential inhibitor's safety and effectiveness.

Step by step solution

01

Study the Molecular Structure of the Enzyme

Examine the enzymatic molecular structures of both the humans and the microorganisms. Look for differences that could potentially be exploited for a targeted approach of inhibition.
02

Identify the Enzyme Function

Explore the function of the enzyme in both organisms. It is crucial to understand how inhibiting this enzyme can impact both organism's physiological activities.
03

Investigate the Potential Differences Across Species

Differences may exist in the way species respond to certain substances or environments. Such differences can be used to identify selective inhibitors that are more effective on the enzyme in the microorganism but less damaging to the human body.
04

Test Selective Inhibition

After identifying potential selective inhibitors, conduct laboratory tests to confirm their effectiveness and specificity.
05

Assess Safety and Effectiveness

Analyze laboratory results to assess the safety and effectiveness of the potential inhibitors in the human body. It includes evaluating possible side effects and ensuring the inhibitor can effectively kill or prevent the growth of the microorganisms.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) is biosynthesized from methionine and ATP, catalyzed by methionine adenosyl transferase. The mechanism is shown below. a. Design a competitive reversible inhibitor for this enzyme. b. Design a multi-substrate analogue inhibitor, and show the basis for your design.

Why would you want to design a drug that is an enzyme inhibitor?

a. Two isoforms of an enzyme were discovered; isoform-1 produces a hormone that causes muscle spasms and isoform-2 makes another hormone from the same substrate that lowers cholesterol levels. What would you do to prevent muscle spasms without raising cholesterol levels? b. If the active sites of isoform-1 and \(-2\) are the same except isoform-1 has a cysteine residue and isoform-2 has a phenylalanine residue at that same position, what two approaches would you take for a muscle spasm drug without a cholesterol level increase side effect?

What advantage does a slow, tight-binding inhibitor have over a simple reversible inhibitor?

GABA aminotransferase catalyzes a PLP-dependent conversion of GABA to succinic semialdehyde (see Section 5.3.3.3.1). a. Draw a mechanism for how 6 inactivates this enzyme. b. A hypothetical anticonvulsant drug that inhibits GABA aminotransferase was given to a patient in overdose quantities. Not only did the patient stop convulsing, but he went into a coma. If the problem was that the GABA concentration became too high, mention two possible solutions to the problem.
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