Definition - What does Enzyme mean?
An enzyme is a substance that floats in cytoplasm and acts as a catalyst for all cell metabolism in living organisms. An enzyme is key to reducing the amount of energy required for a reaction to initiate. An enzyme is most typically a protein and is made up of amino acids. The purpose of an enzyme is to control the speed at which chemical reactions take place and accelerate the process.
Enzymes are also used in some drug testing such as EMIT (Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique), a type of immunoassay screening test.
SureHire explains Enzyme
Enzymes are constructed by the looping together of between 100 and 1,000 amino acids. The construction is made in a very specific way so that the group of amino acids folds into a unique form. This unique formation enables the enzyme to perform particular chemical reactions without changing its own structure. Its unique formation creates hollows on its surface area called the active site. The active site enables the required reactant molecule to bind perfectly to the enzyme. By doing so, the enzyme lowers the activation energy required to form or destroy bonds to substrate molecules.
