The phrase identifies a specific scientific publication: a translated version, likely by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), of the 1913 paper by Leonor Michaelis and Maud Menten. The original German title of the paper is “Die Kinetik der Invertinwirkung.” This title translates to “The Kinetics of Invertase Action,” with “Invertase” commonly referred to as “Invertin.” The study investigates the rate and mechanism of the enzymatic reaction catalyzed by invertase.
This publication is foundational in the field of enzyme kinetics. It is important because it introduced a mathematical model to describe the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions in relation to the concentration of substrate. The Michaelis-Menten equation, derived in this paper, remains a cornerstone of biochemistry, providing a framework for understanding and predicting enzyme behavior. The insights from this work have implications for various disciplines, including drug discovery, metabolic engineering, and industrial biotechnology. Historically, it marked a significant advance in understanding the quantitative aspects of enzyme catalysis.
