ENZYM Meaning and
Definition
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Enzyme (noun):
An enzyme is a type of protein that acts as a biological catalyst, facilitating and speeding up chemical reactions within living organisms. Enzymes play a crucial role in various metabolic processes by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur, enabling it to take place more rapidly.
Enzymes are highly specific in nature, meaning that each enzyme is designed to catalyze a particular reaction or set of reactions. They achieve this specificity through their unique three-dimensional shape, as well as their active site, which is a region on the enzyme where the substrate, or the molecule upon which the enzyme acts, binds. The substrate undergoes a chemical transformation after binding to the active site, resulting in the formation of a new product.
Enzymes are essential for maintaining homeostasis within an organism as they regulate and control the rates of chemical reactions. They are involved in various biological processes including metabolism, digestion, DNA replication, protein synthesis, and immune responses. Enzymes are often named after the reaction they catalyze, with the suffix "-ase" indicating their enzymatic nature.
Enzymes can be affected by factors such as temperature, pH, and substrate concentration. Optimal conditions for enzyme activity vary depending on the specific enzyme and the organism in which it functions. Enzyme deficiencies or abnormalities can lead to various disorders and diseases.
Common Misspellings for ENZYM
- wnzym
- snzym
- dnzym
- rnzym
- 4nzym
- 3nzym
- ebzym
- emzym
- ejzym
- ehzym
- enxym
- ensym
- enaym
- enztm
- enzgm
- enzhm
- enzum
- enz7m
- enz6m
- enzyn
Etymology of ENZYM
The word "enzyme" derives from the Greek words "en" meaning "in" and "zyme" meaning "yeast". It was originally coined by the German physician Wilhelm Friedrich Kühne in 1877 to describe the substance produced by yeast cells that initiates fermentation. Over time, the term "enzyme" has come to refer to any biological protein catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms.
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