Question

What does the binding of the substrate to the enzyme do?

Answer 1

Enzymes:

1. These are mostly proteinaceous compounds that help in altering the rate of a biochemical reaction.
2. They do not take part in any reaction, but only change the rate at which the reaction occurs.
3. Examples of enzymes include carbonic anhydrase, aldolase, etc.

Substrate:

1. This is the biomolecule that has a specific binding site for an enzyme.
2. It undergoes a biochemical reaction and leads to the formation of products.

The following occur upon the binding of a substrate and its enzyme:

1. When an enzyme binds its substrate, it forms an enzyme-substrate complex.
2. The binding of the substrate causes enzymes to modify their shapes, thus fitting more securely around the substrate.
3. The enzyme-substrate complex alters the activation energy of the reaction. For instance, in some reactions, the enzyme lowers the activation energy.
4. This implies that the energy required to perform the reaction is lowered.
5. Thus, the time taken to achieve that energy is reduced and the reaction is completed faster than it would have without the presence of the enzyme.