Dichotomous Keys to Enzyme-Modification Mechanisms

Abstract

The analysis of experiments with enzyme modifiers is aimed at extracting information on the mechanism of action and at calculating kinetic constants. Some mechanisms are characterized by unique combinations of characters and their identification does not pose particular problems. However, mechanisms exist which share common features and are not distinguishable from one another at a glance. The attribution of the kinetic behavior of an enzyme modifier to a known type and eventually to a particular mechanism of action is similar to the identification performed by biologists when assigning a specimen to a family, genus, and finally to a species. This task, which consists in evaluating all elements available and in analyzing them until finding a unique combination of traits, is facilitated by the use of diagnostic keys. The dichotomous keys in this chapter aim at supporting the identification of kinetic mechanisms of enzyme modifiers.

The identification of objects is a fundamental human activity . $\cdots$ For a biologist, identification usually means finding the name for a specimen of animal or plant, and the specimen to be identified is usually assigned to a species. $\cdots$ and when a new object is examined, and it is decided that it belongs to one of the existing groups, then it has been identified.

Richard J. Pankhurst (1991) Practical taxonomic computing. Cambridge University Press, p. 1