Learn more about enzyme assay, enzyme method, and enzyme method choices. Are you seeking a better way to automate your enzyme analysis? This guide will help with your decision-making.
Enzymes are a special kind of protein found in cells of living organisms. They’re made up of long chains of amino acids held together by peptide bonds. No two types of enzymes have the same amino acid structure, and each enzyme has its own unique shape. Automation of enzyme assays is becoming increasingly important and instrumentation is being developed to satisfy this need. Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition. Usually the assay is carried out by determining the enzyme activity with, and without activation by an added coenzyme. The activity can be monitored by measuring changes in concentration of substrates or products during the reaction.
What are the enzyme assay methods?
Enzyme assay is performed to determine the amount of enzyme in the sample and it is also used for identifying a special enzyme. The enzymatic assay can be direct or indirect, or coupled. In the case of direct assay, substrate is added to the sample and the end product formed is determined. The substrate or assay reagent is directly modified by the enzyme, but the signal is generated by interaction with another reagent or another reaction. The other reagents or reactions may be the second, third, or even the forth reaction from the initial enzyme reaction.
To find out more about the method choices for enzyme assays download the full technical note.
Information is also provided on the Thermo Scientific™ Gallery™ Enzyme Master enzyme analyzer that automates the critical steps involved in reliable enzyme analysis — sequential addition of buffers, substrates, and reagents — including incubation time and precise incubation temperature suitable for a specific enzyme type. The note explains how it can efficiently manage various enzymes and measuring conditions — all in a single instrument that offers consistent and reliable performance.