Julia R Migliore
As part of their check-up at birth, babies get a prick on the heel. Among many other things, the blood tests for the function of a protein called phenylalanine hydroxylase. (Scientists sometimes call it "PAH" for convenience.) PAH is the first in a sequence of enzymes that break down excess phenylalanine. It speeds up the …
Hexokinase is an enzyme (a protein that promotes a chemical reaction). Kinase enzymes add phosphate groups to other molecules, and hexokinase adds phosphate groups to glucose molecules. This is the first reaction that begins a long process of breaking down glucose sugars into useable energy. Hexokinase reaction Hexokinase works in the cytoplasm of cells. The …
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