AAMC FL Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a step in testing enzymes experimentally?

1. Vary the substrate concentration

2. Keeping enzyme concentration constant

3. Introducing multiple inhibitors

4. Including or excluding the inhibitor

The correct answer is: Introducing multiple inhibitors

The correct choice indicates that introducing multiple inhibitors is not a standard step in the process of testing enzymes experimentally. In enzyme kinetics, the typical approach involves varying specific parameters to observe their effects on the enzyme's activity. When testing enzymes, key parameters include varying the substrate concentration to determine how it influences the reaction rate. By keeping the enzyme concentration constant, one can isolate the effects of the substrate on the reaction velocity. Additionally, including or excluding inhibitors allows researchers to understand how these molecules affect enzyme activity, which is crucial for studying inhibition mechanisms. Introducing multiple inhibitors, however, complicates the experimental design and analysis. Each inhibitor could have varying effects and interactions, making it difficult to attribute changes in enzyme activity to a single inhibitor or understand their individual effects in a controlled way. Hence, it’s not a standard practice in basic enzyme testing scenarios.