Enzyme

An enzyme is a protein produced by a living organism that functions as a catalyst.

Mechanism[edit]

Enzymes increase the speed and likelihood of chemical reactions within an organism's body by lowering the activation energy necessary for a reaction to occur. This happens because the enzyme selects the particular configuration of the substrate and bends the bonds into the energetically-favorable orientation, with a consequent decrease in entropy. They are essential to all cellular functions, and most life could not exist without them, although viruses lack enzymes, but use them from their host cell.^[1] The active site, a three-dimensional structure, is the only region of the enzyme that binds to the substrate. It permits only a particular substrate to bind to the site.^[2]

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3266
2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/science/enzyme