Mechanism of Allosteric Activation
The enzyme is olive, the substrate is green, the allosteric activator is red and the products of the enzymatic reaction are yellow (A) and blue (B). The enzyme has two binding sites, one for the substrate (the active site) and the other for the allosteric activator (the regulatory site). When the allosteric activator is not bound to the regulatory site, the active site of the enzyme is not able to bind substrate and catalyze the production of product. However, when the allosteric activator binds to the enzyme at the regulatory site, the shape of the active site changes so that it can bind its substrate and catalyze the production of products A and B. The enzyme will remain activated until the allosteric activator leaves the regulatory site. Click on the animation to see a larger view.