What does the slope of the Lineweaver-Burk plot represent?

The slope of the Lineweaver-Burk plot, which is a double reciprocal plot of the Michaelis-Menten equation, is defined mathematically as the ratio of Km to Vmax. This plot allows biochemists to analyze enzyme kinetics by transforming the hyperbolic relationship of reaction velocity versus substrate concentration into a linear form.

In the context of the Michaelis-Menten equation, the velocity (v) of an enzymatic reaction can be expressed as:

[ \frac{1}{v} = \frac{Km}{Vmax} \cdot \frac{1}{[S]} + \frac{1}{Vmax} ]

In this equation, ([S]) is the substrate concentration, Km is the Michaelis constant, and Vmax is the maximum reaction velocity. The slope of the Lineweaver-Burk plot is represented by (Km/Vmax).

This means that as you graph the straight line formed by plotting (1/v) against (1/[S]), the slope of that line effectively gives you insights into both the affinity of the enzyme for its substrate (as reflected by Km) and the maximum activity of the enzyme (represented by Vmax). Thus, the correct answer accurately reflects