Substrate Specificity

Definition

Substrate specificity refers to how particular enzymes can only catalyze certain substrates due their unique active site shapes and properties.

Related terms

Lock-and-Key Model: This is a model of enzyme action where the substrate fits perfectly into the active site of an enzyme, like a key in a lock.

Enzyme-Substrate Complex:

This refers to the temporary formation when an enzyme binds with its substrate during a reaction.

Active Site:

This is the region on an enzyme where substrates bind and undergo a chemical reaction.