Q. Organic compound firmly bound to an apoenzyme to make it catalytically active is

 1922  206 NTA AbhyasNTA Abhyas 2020Biomolecules Report Error

Solution:

Cofactors are the non-protein constituents that bound to an enzyme to make it catalytically active.
Cofactors can be of 3 types:
Prosthetic groups: Organic compound firmly bound to an apoenzyme, e.g., haem is a prosthetic group for peroxidase and catalase which mediates the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.
Coenzymes: Organic compound loosely bound to an apoenzyme, e.g., most of the members of the vitamin B complex. Coenzymes NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) contain vitamin niacin.
Metal ions: These form coordination bonds with the side chains at the active site of the enzyme and simultaneously with 1 or more coordination bonds with the substrate, e.g., zinc act as a cofactor for carboxypeptidase enzyme.