Is it possible toinhibit a particular enzyme?

Question

...without effecting the actions of other enzymes? (Inside a living creature,ofcourse)

Answer 1

Yes it is. There are some inhibitors which are quite specific.
However usually for in vivo experiments it is preferred to have conditional mutants ie enzymes that will work normaly under some condtions but wil stop working with a controlled change for instance in temperature.

It also depends on the complexity of the organism.
A beautiful example is aspirin which acetylates cyclooxygenase stopping the formation of prostagladins;though this is an example of covalent modification rather than reversible binding of a ligand.

Answer 2

Yes it is. In fact, this is done routinely to study biological processes or to generate useful drugs for various disorders. For instance, the most commonly used drug to "treat" the symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease is a so-called cholinesterase inhibitor. Drugs like Aricept interfere with the ability of the enzyme cholinesterase to break down the acetylcholine that appears in the synaptic cleft between two nerve cells in the brain. By decreasing the rate of breakdown, the acetylcholine can exert its effects for a longer period of time, helping to diminish, only somewhat, the neurologic problems of those suffering from early Alzheimer's.

Interestingly, Mother Nature has developed a great many naturally occurring specific inhibitors of enzymes inside of our cells. You see them in use by a great many different species of plants and animals. They can effect things from heart rate to salivation to neuromuscular function, etc. The list is quite long.

Answer 3

Yes.

Enzyme inhibitors interact in some way with the enzyme to prevent it from working in the normal manner.

There are several types; nonspecific, irreversible, reversible, competitive, non-competitive.

Poisons and drugs are examples of enzyme inhibitors.

Answer 4

Yes. Can't think of examples off the top of my head though. Try www.sciencedirect.com for abstracts with keywords enzyme inhibition. Oh wait, one is coming to me; I'm pretty sure you can inhibit specific enzymatic actions by having too much or too little of the substrate or product, e.g. as might happen in cellular anaerobic respiration. But this is all so FUZZY...