Evolutionary optimization of the catalytic efficiency of enzymes.

1. The rate equation for a generalized Michaelian type of enzymic reaction mechanism has been analyzed in order to establish how the mechanism should be kinetically designed in order to optimize the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme for a given average magnitude of true and apparent first-order rate constants in the mechanism at given concentrations of enzyme, substrate and product. 2. As long as on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding to the enzyme have not reached the limiting value for a diffusion-controlled association process, the optimal state of enzyme operation will be characterized by forward (true and apparent) first-order rate constants of equal magnitude and reverse rate constants of equal magnitude. The drop in free energy driving the catalysed reaction will occur to an equal extent for each reaction step in the mechanism. All internal equilibrium constants will be of equal magnitude and reflect only the closeness of the catalysed reaction to equilibrium conditions. 3. When magnitudes of on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding have reached their upper limits, the optimal kinetic design of the reaction mechanism becomes more complex and has to be established by numerical methods. Numerical solutions, calculated for triosephosphate isomerase, indicate that this particular enzyme may or may not be considered to exhibit close to maximal efficiency, depending on what value is assigned to the upper limit for a ligand association rate constant. 4. Arguments are presented to show that no useful information on the evolutionary optimization of the catalytic efficiency of enzymes can be obtained by previously taken approaches that are based on the application of linear free-energy relationships for rate and equilibrium constants in the reaction mechanism.