Enzyme Kinetics -- Part I
Part IV. The Michaelis-Menten Equation.
The plot of Vo versus [S] can be represented by an equation, which is known as the Michaelis-Menten equation in honor of the scientist who first described it. This equation, sometimes called the M-M equation, is an important one for you to know and understand.
Figure 5. The Michaelis-Menten equation which describes the change in Vo as [S] increases.
The constants in this equation, Km and Vmax, are defined:
Vmax = Maximum velocity catalyzed by a fixed [E]
Km = the [S] which gives 1/2 Vmax
These definitions are illustrated below:
Figure 6. Vo versus [S] plot illustrating the operational definitions of Vmax and Km.
Thus, the limit approached in the Vo versus [S] plot is the Vmax.
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©Wilbur H. Campbell, 1995; wcampbel@mtu.edu