Im reading The Moderately Efficient Enzyme Evolutionary and

I\'m reading The Moderately Efficient Enzyme: Evolutionary and Physicochemical Trends Shaping Enzyme Parameters and I need some help. This paper can be found online, I\'m trying to understand: 1.) The Broad Topic of the paper 2.) The Specific Topic of paper and 3.) One-sentence Synopsis of the paper. Thanks!

Solution

1.) The Broad Topic of the paper: Moderately efficient enzymes

Most of the studies carried out on enzymes focused on the efficient enzymes. Some of which are so efficient that the diffusion rate of the substrates becomes the rate-limiting step of the reaction. Such enzymes are called diffusion efficient enzymes. However, all enzymes can not qualify as highly efficient enzymes. Understanding the gap in the present knowledge, the study was devised to understand the moderately efficient enzymes.

2.) The Specific Topic of paper: Evolutionary and Physicochemical Trends Shaping Moderately efficient Enzyme Parameter

We know that the turnover of an enzymatic reaction is represented as K_CAT. Whereas, K_M is the substrate concentration at which the V_max reaches its half. K_CAT is directly proportional to the efficiency of a reaction while K_M is indirectly proportional to the efficiency.
In the study, the KCAT and KCAT/KM are measured for an enzyme to classify it according to their efficiencies. Out of which the moderately efficient enzymes were studied and the reason for their efficiencies were correlated with their phylogenic and physiochemical parameters.

Synopsis:

Evolution is found to be a major force shaping the efficiency of an enzyme; the degree of the efficiency imparted by the evolutionary forces correlate with its biological importance.

Evolutionary forces have their own limits, The size of an enzyme was another factor found to determine the efficiency of the enzyme. Smaller enzymes were found more efficient.

Another factor that affects the efficiency was hydrophobicity.