SigrafW: An easy-to-use program for fitting enzyme kinetic data

SigrafW is Windows-compatible software developed using the Microsoft (R) Visual Basic Studio program that uses the simplified Hill equation for fitting kinetic data from allosteric and Michaelian enzymes. SigrafW uses a modified Fibonacci search to calculate maximal velocity (V), the Hill coefficient (n), and the enzyme-substrate apparent dissociation constant (K). The estimation of V, K, and the sum of the squares of residuals is performed using a Wilkinson nonlinear regression at any Hill coefficient (n). In contrast to many currently available kinetic analysis programs, SigrafW shows several advantages for the determination of kinetic parameters of both hyperbolic and nonhyperbolic saturation curves. No initial estimates of the kinetic parameters are required, a measure of the goodness-of-the-fit for each calculation performed is provided, the nonlinear regression used for calculations eliminates the statistical bias inherent in linear transformations, and the software can be used for enzyme kinetic simulations either for educational or research purposes.