Why are enzymes specific and why can’t each one speed up many different reactions?

Enzymes are specific because the active site of each enzyme has a unique shape that fits only a particular substrate, similar to how a lock fits a specific key. This specificity ensures that enzymes catalyze only specific reactions. Their structure and amino acid sequence dictate which substrates they can interact with, and hence, each enzyme is restricted to a particular type of reaction.

 

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