Substrate

Substrate refers to the material or substance on which an enzyme acts. It is a key concept in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, playing a crucial role in various biological processes.

Overview

In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions involving the substrate(s). In the case of a single substrate, the substrate binds with the enzyme active site, and an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The substrate is transformed into one or more products, which are then released from the active site. The active site is now free to accept another substrate molecule. In the case of more than one substrate, these may bind in a particular order to the active site, before reacting to produce products.

Role in Enzyme Activity

The substrate plays a significant role in Enzyme Activity. The enzyme's active site binds to the substrate and facilitates its conversion to a product. This process is often represented by the lock and key model, where the enzyme (the lock) recognizes a specific substrate (the key).

Substrate Specificity

Substrate Specificity is a critical concept in biochemistry. It refers to the ability of an enzyme to choose exact substrates from a group of similar chemical molecules. The specificity is actually a molecular recognition mechanism and is a result of the structural complementarity between the enzyme and the substrate.

See Also

• Enzyme Kinetics
• Enzyme Inhibitor
• Active Site
• Catalysis

References

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