Enzymes and Metabolism         (IB Topic C1.1)

Ⓛ Lab: Experimenting with Enzymes (👭 max 2)

Using what you’ve learned from this unit, design an experiment to test one factor that affects the activity of an enzyme. For help getting started, here are a bunch of simple experiment ideas for various enzymes. 

Ⓛ Lab: Enzymes in Action – Pectinase (💁 / 👭 max 2) 

Any lover of fruit juice owes a nod to the industrial use of pectinase. We use this enzyme commercially to speed up the breakdown of fruits in order to extract more juice with more efficiency, reducing cost and waste. Work your way through an experiment (and get an idea of how enzymes work in general) by following the instructions in this lab.  

Ⓛ (Practice with Data Analysis): Diet and the Evolution of Salivary Amylase (💁)

Ready to decode the link between your genes and your dinner plate? When the agricultural revolution began roughly 10,000 years ago, natural selection favored humans who could digest starch. In this lab analysis, you’ll explore the interplay between genetics, diet, and evolution by diving into the science of salivary amylase — the enzyme in your spit that breaks down starch as you chew. Analyze real-world data from human populations with differing diets to identify patterns that reveal evolutionary advantages. Complete all questions and submit to G. Classroom, but pay particularly close attention to the final task in which you design your own experiment. 

Ӕ (AHL): The Academy – Enzyme Inhibition (💁)

Cut another Khan Academy-style video, this time explaining the topic of enzyme inhibition. Make sure you clearly define the different types of enzyme inhibitors, and use graphs that show reaction rates as substrate concentration increases. Try to give at least one real-world example, such as the inhibition of threonine to isoleucine in bacteria.

Ⓛ: The Play-Doh Enzyme Lab (💁/ 👭max 2)

Grab some play-doh and get in touch with your inner kid – use it to sculpt some models of enzyme activity. Follow the directions on this slide – make sure you provide written labels for your work, and upload photographs of it. 

Ⓛ: Origami Enzyme Simulation (💁/ 👭max 2)

If play-doh isn’t quite your thing, maybe origami is! Grab some paper, then print out and follow the directions on this page to fold the paper in ways that can simulate the activity of enzymes. Together with your partner, take pictures of your work, and provide a brief explanation (either recorded or written) of what each model represents. 

Ⓛ: Oreos and Enzymes “Cookie-ase” (💁/ 👭max 2)

If play-doh and origami aren’t your thing – how about cookies? Grab some oreos (or any “sandwich cookie”), read through this article, then follow the directions to conduct the at-home lab at the end. Record an explanation of your cookie-enzyme setup, and make sure you address the ways in which models sometimes take original forms…like cookies. 

Ⓛ: The Enzyme Lego-Lab (💁/ 👭max 2)

If Legos happens to be your thing, here is a challenging lab for using Legos as a model for enzyme activity. This is a long lab – so you may feel free to complete only portions of it as you see fit – just remember that you should write or record an explanation as you go, and try to incorporate as much content from 2.5 and 8.1 as you reasonably can. 

Ⓛ: Practice with Data Analysis – Enzymes (💁/ 👭max 2)

Data analysis is one of the most important aspects of running an experiment. Take this raw data from an enzyme lab, and complete the tasks as described at the bottom of the sheet. This is very useful practice for lab analysis skills – which you will be using quite a bit in your Internal Assessment later this year!

Ⓛ: Toothpick-Ase (💁/ 👭max 2)

You yourself become the enzyme here – and you get the pleasure of breaking many, many toothpicks. Follow the directions on this sheet, and record yourself modeling as an enzyme. Explain how each scenario relates to the real-world function of enzymes, especially how inhibitors work. 

ⓦ: “Inquiry 5”: Q&A on Enzymes (💁/ 👭max 2)

Create a list of 5 inquiry questions related to enzyme structure and function. Remember that good inquiry questions are conceptual / open-ended…such as: “How does the shape of an enzyme help determine its function?; NOT: “What is the function of the active site?” If working solo, write out answers to your own questions; if working in pairs, record yourselves asking each other your 5 questions.

ⓦ/ⓟ: How Designing Brand-New Enzymes Could Change the World

Watch this TED Talk about the edge of scientific research with enzymes. Like much of the current world of biology, we are moving from an era of understanding what enzymes are and how they function, into one in which we can design our own to carry out unique new functions. After watching the Talk, respond: 1) What are a few examples of industry uses of enzymes; 2) How might we be able to construct enzymes on our own; and 3) What some examples might be of future uses of “designed enzymes”. 

Extra practice: Old School Worksheet (💁)

Complete this worksheet on enzymes and this worksheet on metabolism. Submit BOTH of them to G. Classroom. Digital copies are permitted, but DO NOT copy and paste texts from other sources – all writing must be your own!