How are enzymes regulated?

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions in living organisms, speeding up these reactions without being consumed in the process. The activity of enzymes needs to be tightly controlled to ensure that metabolic processes take place correctly. Enzyme regulation is the control system that makes sure all enzymes are not activated at the same time or in the same cell. Multiple mechanisms help to regulate enzymes by turning on some enzymes while turning off others depending on the enzyme and cellular needs. 

Examples of enzyme regulation mechanisms include: 

• Allosteric regulation involves the binding of a regulatory molecule to a site on the enzyme that is distinct from the active site. Allosteric regulators can be activators or inhibitors. Their binding induces a conformational change in the enzyme, affecting its catalytic properties, which can either enhance or inhibit the enzyme's activity. 
• Controlling Degradation of enzymes helps to regulate the number of enzymes available to bind to and break down substrates. Enzyme degradation generally occurs by breaking down enzymes themselves, although substrates can also be degraded.
• Genetic regulation involves controlling the quantity of enzymes produced by an organism’s body. When the body has a higher need for enzymes, the gene responsible for producing the gene is induced. Conversely, when the body requires fewer enzymes to be produced, then the gene responsible for producing the gene is repressed. 
• Compartmentalization is an enzyme regulatory mechanism that generally occurs in eukaryotic cells. In this process, enzymes are segregated by cellular membranes that confine their movement to specific compartments within the cell, usually organelles. This enzyme regulation mechanism ensures that enzymes function exclusively within their designated space and do not interact with substrates outside of that space or compartment. This regulatory method keeps enzyme activity localized while also providing the right environment for optimum enzymatic activity. 
• Controlling Substrate Concentration also helps to regulate enzymes. Even if many enzymes are available, they will not be activated unnecessarily if there are no readily available substrates for the enzymes to bind to and break down. 
• Changing environmental factors such as the temperature, pH level or other factors can affect enzymatic function. Enzymes function at peak efficiency in certain environments such as specific temperature and pH ranges.