Intracellular/Extracellular enzymes
Extracellular enzymes
- Released from cells
- Used to digest food
- Required to use polymers for nutrition
- Single-celled organisms release extracellular enzymes into their immediate environment
Intracellular enzymes
- Act within cells
- Synthesis of polymers from monomers
- Destroy toxins such as hydrogen peroxide
Digestion reactions
Digestion of Starch
- Starch polymers are broken down into maltose (disaccharide) by amylase from pancreas and salivary glands
- Maltose broken into glucose by maltase in small intestines
- Glucose absorbed into blood
Digestion of Proteins
- Trypsin is a form of protease
- Catalyses proteins → smaller peptides
Main reaction types
Anabolic Reactions
- Building up reactions
- Combining two reactants into one product
- Protein synthesis
Catabolic Reactions
- Breaking down
- Food digestion
- Breaking one reactant into two products