substrate
reactant of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction
In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule that is acted upon by an enzyme. It is the specific molecule that is altered or converted into a new product by the enzyme’s catalytic action. The substrate binds to the active site of the enzyme, triggering a reaction that produces the enzyme-substrate complex, which eventually leads to the formation of the product(s) and the release of the enzyme.
In simple terms, the substrate is the molecule upon which an enzyme acts to produce a specific product. For instance, in the reaction of lactase enzyme and lactose substrate, lactose is the substrate while lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose. Substrates can be organic or inorganic molecules and can vary in size and complexity depending on the specific enzyme and the chemical reaction it catalyzes.
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