Journal of Physical Chemistry, Vol.99, No.17, 6595-6600, 1995
New Perspective on the Kinetics of Enzyme Catalysis
This is a sequel to our recent paper (J. Phys. Chem. 1992, 96, 2593) in enzyme kinetics on deriving steady-state rate formulas by computer for chemical systems that are too complex for the methods of King and Altman (King, E. L.; Altman, C. J Phys. Chem. 1956, 60, 1375) and Hill (Hill T. L. Free Energy Transduction and Biochemical Cycle Kinetics; Springer-Verlag : New York, 1989). In this paper we illustrate how such computer-derived formulas, which are themselves too complex even to print out, are to be used. With the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase as an example, we demonstrate how information on the mechanism and kinetics of a reaction can be deduced from computer-stored rate formulas used in conjunction with experimental data. Thus, anew mathematical perspective in enzyme kinetics makes it possible to replace hand calculations with programs that List reaction mechanisms, derive kinetic formulas, and make use of data bases to gain insight as to how mechanisms may be characterized.