A Computer Program for Processing Enzyme Kinetic Data by the Maximum Likelihood Method

Abstract

A personal computer complex program written in BASIC for the estimation of the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics and inhibition constants or ligand binding process parameters and their confidence limits by the maximum likelihood method is presented. The program needs no provisional estimates of the constants for starting and is free from converging problems. To compare the method and the program with other methods (nonlinear regression by weighted least squares method and nonparametric "direct linear plot" developed by Cornish-Bowden), large-scale computer simulation experiments by the Monte Carlo method were performed. The results of these experiments demonstrate that the program works faster and provides the parameter estimates with less bias or variance. The listing of the program is presented.