Allosteric Enzymes

The regulation of the reaction velocity of enzymes is essential if an organism is to coordinate its numerous metabolic processes. The rates of most enzymes are responsive to changes in substrate concentration, because the intracellular level of many substrates is in the range of the K_m. Thus, an increase in substrate concentration prompts an increase in reaction rate, which tends to return the concentration of substrate toward normal. In addition, some enzymes with specialized regulatory functions respond to allosteric effectors and/or covalent modification or they show altered rates of enzyme synthesis (or degradation) when physiologic conditions are changed.
Allosteric enzymes are regulated by molecules called effectors that bind noncovalently at a site other than the active site. These enzymes are almost always composed of multiple subunits, and the regulatory (allosteric) site that binds the effector is distinct from the substrate-binding site and may be located on a subunit that is not itself catalytic. Effectors that inhibit enzyme activity are termed negative effectors, whereas those that increase enzyme activity are called positive effectors. Positive and negative effectors can affect the affinity of the enzyme for its substrate (K_0.5), modify the maximal catalytic activity of the enzyme (V_max), or both (Fig. 1). [Note:Allosteric enzymes frequently catalyze the committed step, often the ratelimiting
step, early in a pathway.]

Figure 1:  Effects of negative or positive effectors on an allosteric enzyme. A. Maximal velocity (V_max) is altered. B. The substrate concentration that gives half maximal velocity (K_0.5) is altered.
1. Homotropic effectors: When the substrate itself serves as an effector, the effect is said to be homotropic. Most often, an allosteric substrate functions as a positive effector. In such a case, the presence of a substrate molecule at one site on the enzyme enhances the catalytic properties of the other substrate-binding sites. That is, their binding sites exhibit cooperativity. These enzymes show a sigmoidal curve when vo is plotted against substrate concentration, as shown in Figure 1. This contrasts with the hyperbolic curve characteristic of enzymes following Michaelis-Menten kinetics, as previously discussed. [Note: The concept of cooperativity of substrate binding is analogous to the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin .]
2. Heterotropic effectors: The effector may be different from the substrate, in which case the effect is said to be heterotropic. For example, consider the feedback inhibition shown in Figure 2. The enzyme that converts D to E has an allosteric site that binds the end product, G. If the concentration of G increases (for example, because it is not used as rapidly as it is synthesized), the first irreversible step unique to the pathway is typically inhibited. Feedback inhibition provides the cell with appropriate amounts of a product it needs by regulating the flow of substrate molecules through the pathway that synthesizes that product.Heterotropic effectors are commonly encountered. For example, the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 is allosterically inhibited by citrate, which is not a substrate for the enzyme .

Figure 2:  Feedback inhibition of a metabolic pathway.