An enzyme is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst to speed up chemical reactions in cells.
Think of an enzyme like a key and the reaction it catalyzes as a lock. The key (enzyme) fits perfectly into the lock (reaction), allowing it to open quickly and easily. Without the right key, opening the lock would take much longer or might not happen at all.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
Protein: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific order; the order is determined by the base sequence of nucleotides in the gene coding for the protein.
Active Site: The specific region on an enzyme where substrate binds and catalysis takes place or where chemical reaction occurs.
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