How can changes in pH affect the way an enzyme works?

i have another part to that question im studying for a test and i cant find any notes on it..second part to the question How might this affect the cell as a whole? please help!How can changes in pH affect the way an enzyme works?
Oooh, good question.



As you know, many amino acids are very sensitive to small changes in pH around neutral. So a small drop in pH may cause an carboxylic acid residue like Asp or Glu, to lose its charge and become protonated. This could happen in the active site of an enzyme, causing the enzyme to not perform its catalytic role.



Alternatively, this could happen at another site in the protein. Let's say a pH increase causes a critical lysine residue to deprotonate, and the hard positive charge on the amine moiety is lost. This could cause the neutral lysine to bury itself within the protein and unfold the enzyme; alternatively, it could disrupt a salt bridge that the lysine was engaged in, causing the enzyme to fall apart and unfold.



In the cell, there is a delicate pH balance being maintained. Changing the pH even slightly causes all sorts of problems to the cell. Aqueous chemistry, like biochemistry, is highly dependent on pH. One small kink in the cog can cause the whole factory comes to a grinding halt.

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