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12. What are enzymes? Discuss their characteristics. |
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Answer» Enzymes are biological catalysts. They speed up reactions although they are not changed in the reaction. Enzymes areproteins, and therefore are folded chains of amino acids with a specific shape.Enzymes are specific: they have a specific shape, therefore only a certain substrate will fit its active site. There are two theories of enzyme action: Lock and Key and Induced Fit. The lock and key theory states that only a certain substrate will fit a certain active site, just like a key fits a lock. Induced Fit, likewise, states that enzymes wrap around substrates, attracted to each other by opposite charges, forming an enzyme substrate complex. |
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