Enzyme specificity

What is Enzyme specificity?

The property that each enzyme catalyses only one reaction or one type of reaction, because only a substrate whose shape is complementary to that enzyme's active site can fit into it and form an enzyme-substrate complex. A substrate of any other shape does not fit sufficiently well for the reaction to be catalysed.

This definition is part of the Enzymes chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.

Concepts related to Enzyme specificity

• lock and key
• complementary shape
• Active site