What is the optimal pH for Intestinal Protease? 14. What is the optimal pH for Gastric Protease? 15. Which enzyme works best in a very acidic environment
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
- Optimal pH for Intestinal Protease: The optimal pH for intestinal protease, specifically trypsin, is around pH 8.
- Optimal pH for Gastric Protease: The optimal pH for gastric protease, such as pepsin, is around pH 1.5 to 2.5.
- Enzyme that works best in a very acidic environment: Pepsin is the enzyme that works best in a very acidic environment, such as in the stomach.
Explanation:
Enzymes are highly sensitive to pH, and their activity can be significantly affected by the pH of the environment. Enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions, and each enzyme has an optimal pH range where its activity is maximized.
- Intestinal Protease (e.g., Trypsin): Trypsin, an enzyme found in the small intestine, works in a more neutral to slightly basic pH range, typically around pH 8. The small intestine has a pH of approximately 6 to 8 due to the presence of bile and pancreatic secretions, which neutralize the acidic chyme from the stomach. Trypsin plays a key role in protein digestion by breaking down peptide bonds.
- Gastric Protease (e.g., Pepsin): Pepsin, the main protease in the stomach, operates best in the highly acidic environment of the stomach, which has a pH around 1.5 to 2.5. This highly acidic condition is maintained by gastric acid (hydrochloric acid) secreted by parietal cells in the stomach lining. Pepsin is specifically adapted to function at this acidic pH, where it begins the breakdown of proteins into smaller peptides, initiating the digestive process.
- Enzyme Best in Very Acidic Environment (Pepsin): Pepsin’s optimal activity at low pH enables it to function efficiently in the stomach’s acidic environment. Most other enzymes do not function as effectively under such acidic conditions, making pepsin a specialized enzyme for digestion in this region of the digestive system. This acidic pH is necessary to activate pepsinogen (the inactive form of pepsin) and maintain its activity during protein digestion.