How do severe deviations in pH affect enzyme function?
Answer
They can cause denaturation, permanently altering shape and abolishing specific catalysis.
Significant deviations from optimal pH cause charged residues in the active site to become protonated or deprotonated incorrectly, disrupting the required chemical microenvironment, which, if severe, leads to denaturation—a permanent loss of the specific three-dimensional shape required for function.
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