Enzymes
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Enzymes Most of these interactions are weak and especially so if the atoms involved are farther than about one angstrom from each other. So successful binding of enzyme and substrate requires that the two molecules be able to approach each other closely over a fairly broad surface. Thus the analogy that a substrate molecule binds its enzyme like a key in a lock. This requirement for complementarity in the configuration of substrate and enzyme explains the remarkable specificity of most enzymes. Generally, a given enzyme is able to catalyze only a single chemical reaction or, at most, a few reactions involving substrates sharing the same general structure. Competitive inhibition The necessity for a close, if brief, fit between enzyme and substrate explains the phenomenon of competitive inhibition. One of the enzymes needed for the release of energy within the cell is succinic dehydrogenase. Link to illustrated discussion of the citric acid cycle. It catalyzes...

