Yes, I did google it but my pea sized brain can’t seem to understand it
In: Biology
It’s a protein catalyst.
In other words, it’s a molecule your body makes, for the specific purpose of making certain chemical reactions happen faster.
Your body makes enzymes (and other proteins) by stringing amino acids (a type of small molecule) together in a very careful sequence, coded for in your DNA. (That’s what genes are – each gene tells your body how to make one type of protein.) And this sequence of amino acids is chosen, so that it will naturally fold into a carefully designed shape, which performs a specific mechanical function at the molecular scale.
And, in the case of enzymes, that shape is designed to grab onto molecules, and either force them together or tear them apart.
For instance, take the ATP synthase in your mitochondria. These enzymes are along the interior membrane of the mitochondria, and there are more protons inside than outside (due to the action of other proteins).
So, the ATP synthase grabs onto ADP (a partially used-up energy carrier) and free phosphate. And its function, is to slam the ADP and phosphate together, to form ATP – a fully charged energy carrier. Then, it allows protons to flow through a built-in channel through the mitochondrial membrane, and uses the proton’s energy to push the free phosphate into an ADP – making ATP, a fully charged cellular energy carrier free for use elsewhere in the cell.
Or, take lactase. Lactase works by binding to a lactose, and pulling it apart, to produce glucose and galactose. Lactase has an entirely unrelated shape to ATP synthase, because it does an entirely different job.
Or, take DNA replicase. DNA replicase binds to DNA, grabs a DNA letter that matches its position on the existing strand, shoves it onto the free end of the new strand it’s building, and slides one position down the free strand. This requires its own specific shape.
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