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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Science concepts--biological structures, functions, and processes. The student knows the significance of matter cycling, energy flow, and enzyme in living organisms.

Examples of cellular processes include cellular transport of molecules into, out of, and within the cell, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, cell division, cell signaling, DNA and RNA synthesis, protein synthesis, muscle contraction, nerve firing, etc. These processes would eventually occur without enzymes, but an organism would not be able to respond to stimuli as effectively, quickly, or in a coordinated way without them.

 a substance, usually a protein, that acts as a catalyst in biochemical reactions within living organisms and speeds up reactions without itself being consumed

Research

Gagliardi, Anna, Gzona Bajraktari-Sylejmani,Elisabetta Barocelli, Johanna Weiss, and Juan Pablo Rigalli. "Extracellular Vesicles as Surrogates for Drug Metabolism and Clearance: Promise vs. Reality." Life 13, no. 8 (August 2023): 1745. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/8/1745

Summary Drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transporters play a major role in drug efficacy and safety. They are regulated at multiple levels and by multiple factors. Estimating their expression and activity could contribute to predicting drug pharmacokinetics and their regulation by drugs or pathophysiological situations. In this article, we review the use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as surrogates for the expression and activity of DMEs, uptake, and efflux transporters.

Research

McBroom, Rachel, and Maria T. Oliver-Hoyo. "Food Enzymes: Inquiry-based Labs Allow Students to Explore the Role and Effects of Enzymes in their Everyday Lives." The Science Teacher 74, no. 7 (2007): 58–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24142222

Summary In an effort to increase students' understanding of the importance of enzymes, several existing food-enzyme activities were modified to incorporate more inquiry-based approaches. This article describes two laboratory activities that demonstrate the roles of hydrolase and oxidoreductase enzymes found in common foods. The activities are designed to promote student interest and provide practice in scientific inquiry skills.

Research

Zhang, Dejiu, Lei Zhu, Yanyan Gao, Yin Wang and Peifeng Li. "RNA Editing Enzymes: Structure, Biological Functions and Applications." Cell & Bioscience 14, no. 34 (Mar. 2024): na. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-024-01216-6

Summary RNA editing is a ubiquitous modification in mammalian transcriptomes and is an important co/posttranscriptional modification that plays a crucial role in various cellular processes. This article provides an overview of the structure, function, and applications of RNA editing enzymes.