In an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the rate of the reaction depends on which of the following at very low substrate concentrations?
Select one:
Neither enzyme concentration nor substrate concentration
Enzyme concentration but not substrate concentration
Substrate concentration but not enzyme concentration
Both substrate concentration and enzyme concentration
To determine which factor affects the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction at very low substrate concentrations, we need to understand the concept of enzyme kinetics.
Enzyme concentration refers to the amount of enzyme present in the reaction mixture, while substrate concentration refers to the amount of substrate (the molecule that the enzyme acts upon) present.
At very low substrate concentrations, the rate of the reaction depends primarily on the substrate concentration but not the enzyme concentration. This is because, at low substrate concentrations, there are more available enzyme active sites than there are substrates to bind to them. Therefore, increasing the enzyme concentration would have no effect on the rate of the reaction as there are already sufficient enzymes present.
In summary, at very low substrate concentrations, the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction depends on the substrate concentration but not the enzyme concentration.