A student measured initial reaction rate of an enzyme at increasing substrate concentrations and produced the curve shown.
The graph shows enzyme reaction rate vs substrate concentration. What does Km represent?
- A
Rate at which enzyme denatures under increased substrate
- B
Substrate concentration at which enzyme activity stops
- C
Maximum reaction rate when enzyme is fully saturated
- Dcheck_circle
Substrate concentration at half Vmax, indicating enzyme-substrate affinity
Explanation
Km (Michaelis constant) is the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate equals 1/2 Vmax. A lower Km indicates higher affinity between enzyme and substrate.