Allosteric Enzymes, Cooperativity and the Sigmoid Curve · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Teamwork that flips like a switch

Science · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology · ages 19-20
Name ______________________   Date ____________
  1. What shape does teamwork give the response?

    • Steady climb all the way
    • Flat line then drop
    • Slow start, steep middle, flat top
  2. One unit grabs fuel. What happens to its neighbours?

    • Later grabs come easier
    • Later grabs come harder
    • Every grab stays equal
  3. What does a distant blocker do to the tool?

    • It locks the eager form
    • It locks the reluctant form
    • It deletes the tool
  4. A route end good piles up. What does it do to its own start?

    • It boosts its own first tool
    • It quiets its own first tool
    • It builds a new route
  5. Where does the distant helper attach?

    • At a spot apart from the workbench
    • Inside the fuel itself
    • Nowhere at all
  6. How does an S answer differ from a gradual climb?

    • The S answers slowly everywhere
    • Both ignore low fuel
    • The S ignores lows then fires decisively
  7. A friend says boosters push the curve right. Is that right?

    • Yes, boosters always push right
    • No, it slides the curve toward lower fuel
    • Yes, sides never matter
  8. Blocker levels rise near the threshold. Predict the route flow.

    • The route slows sharply
    • The route speeds up
    • Nothing responds
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_u8f5QLHq-g-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Teamwork that flips like a switch W1-mt_u8f5QLHq-g-s1

  1. Slow start, steep middle, flat top · Self encouragement makes the famous S: sluggish, explosive, then saturated.
  2. Later grabs come easier · Each catch tugs neighbours into a more welcoming shape.
  3. It locks the reluctant form · Blockers settle the reluctant shape and slide the curve toward higher fuel.
  4. It quiets its own first tool · The end good doubles back and calms the opener, steering without extra genes.
  5. At a spot apart from the workbench · Control docks at its own regulatory seat, far from the action.
  6. The S ignores lows then fires decisively · Gradual tools climb a wide slope while S tools flip near the threshold.
  7. No, it slides the curve toward lower fuel · Boosters settle the eager form so less fuel suffices.
  8. The route slows sharply · A small shift on a steep middle flips output dramatically.
Worksheet · LightMySky