You're the manager of a factory that produces enzyme-washed blue jeans (the enzymes lighten the color of the denim, giving a "faded" appearance). When the most recent batch of fabric came out of the enzyme wash, however, the color wasn't light enough to meet your standards. Your quality control laboratory wants to do some tests to determine why the wash enzymes didn't perform as expected.
-Which hypothesis is most likely to be productive for their initial investigation?
A) The nucleotide chain of the enzymes may be incorrectly formed.
B) The dye in the fabric may have hydrolyzed the fatty acids in the enzymes.
C) The three-dimensional structure of the proteins may have been altered.
D) There may not have been enough phospholipids for the volume of fabric.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hypothesis that the three-dimensional structure of the enzymes may have been altered is the most likely to be productive for the initial investigation because enzymes rely heavily on their specific three-dimensional structure to function properly. If the enzymes' three-dimensional structure was altered, it could explain why they did not perform as expected in the wash. The other hypotheses, such as an incorrectly formed nucleotide chain or a lack of phospholipids, are less likely to affect the enzyme's function in the wash. Hydrolysis of fatty acids in the enzymes by the dye in the fabric may be a factor, but it is not the most likely initial hypothesis.

You're the Manager of a Factory That Produces Enzyme-Washed Blue