Enzyme Kinetics, Past and Present

摘要

Enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions, speeding up the conversion from substrate to product molecules. One hundred years ago, Leonor Michae-lis and Maud Leonora Menten studied the equation characterizing enzymatic rates (1). This landmark development in the quantitative description of enzymes has stood the test of time, and the Michaelis-Menten equation remains the fundamental equation in enzyme kinetics (2). Today, the quest for fundamental understanding of the working of enzymes continues with vigor at the single-molecule level as new experiments and theories emerge.