Question

The “Digestive Enzymes” display explains that the stomach enzyme pepsin works best at pH 2 (very acidic conditions), while small intestine enzyme trypsin works best at pH 8 (basic conditions). Both enzymes break down proteins but in different parts of your digestive system. What does this suggest about how enzymes are specialized?
Question 8 options:

All protein-breaking enzymes should work equally well everywhere in the digestive system

Different enzymes evolved to work optimally in their specific body environments and pH conditions

One of these enzymes must be working incorrectly since they have different optimal pH levels

These must be identical enzyme molecules that just happen to be in different body locations

Answer 1

Different enzymes evolved to work optimally in their specific body environments and pH conditions.

Explanation: enzyme activity depends on shape and charge of the active site, which are affected by pH. Pepsin is adapted to the very acidic stomach (pH ~2) while trypsin is adapted to the more basic small intestine (pH ~8); each would be less effective or denatured outside its optimal pH.