Enzyme assay

Enzyme Assay

An enzyme assay is a laboratory procedure that measures the activity of an enzyme. Enzyme assays are vital in the study of biochemistry and molecular biology, providing valuable information about the enzyme kinetics, enzyme inhibition, and enzyme activity under different conditions.

Overview

Enzyme assays are performed to serve two different purposes: (i) to identify a special enzyme, (ii) to measure the amount of the enzyme in a mixture or in a cell. The quantity or concentration of an enzyme can be expressed in molar amounts, as with any other chemical, or in terms of activity in enzyme units.

Types of Enzyme Assays

There are two general types of enzyme assays: continuous assays and discontinuous assays.

Continuous Assays

In a continuous assay the substrate is present in an excess amount and the reaction is continually monitored for changes in absorbance or fluorescence.

Discontinuous Assays

In a discontinuous assay, the reaction must be stopped at specific time points and then the amount of product produced is measured.

Applications

Enzyme assays are used in a wide range of applications, including drug discovery, diagnostic testing, and research.

See Also

• Enzyme kinetics
• Enzyme inhibition
• Biochemistry
• Molecular biology

References

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  Spectrophotometer used in enzyme assays
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  Cuvette holder for sample analysis
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  Diagram of a coupled enzyme assay
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  Chemiluminescent reaction with luminol
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  Enzyme under high pressure conditions