In the presence of an irreversible inhibitor

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In the presence of an irreversible inhibitor, the inhibitor binds covalently to the enzyme, resulting in a permanent loss of activity. This means that the number of functional enzyme molecules decreases, which leads to a decrease in Vmax. The binding of the inhibitor also alters the active site of the enzyme, which can increase the apparent Km value for its substrate. Therefore, there is a decrease in Vmax and possibly an increase in Km, which corresponds to choice D.

In the Presence of an Irreversible Inhibitor