What is the Difference Between Substrate and Active Site?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The substrate and active site are two key components in enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Here are the main differences between them:
- Substrate: A substrate is a chemical compound that acts as the reactant in a chemical reaction. It is the molecule that the enzyme acts on, and it binds to the active site of the enzyme before undergoing a chemical reaction.
- Active Site: The active site is the region of an enzyme where substrates bind and undergo a chemical reaction. It is formed by the specific three-dimensional arrangement of amino acids in the enzyme. The active site is typically a small pocket or cleft on the surface of the protein where the reactants bind. Usually, the active site consists of three to four amino acids.
Each active site has a specific shape that fits a particular substrate, and the arrangement of the amino acids in this region determines this specificity. The amino acids in the active site interact with the substrate to lower the activation energy of the reaction, allowing it to proceed more rapidly than if it occurred in a solution without an enzyme.
Comparative Table: Substrate vs Active Site
The main difference between a substrate and an active site lies in their roles in a chemical reaction. A substrate is a molecule that an enzyme acts upon, while the active site is the region on the enzyme where the substrate binds and the chemical reaction takes place. Here is a table summarizing the differences:
| Substrate | Active Site |
|---|---|
| Reactant molecule in a chemical reaction | Region on the enzyme where substrate binds and the chemical reaction occurs |
| Acts as the molecule that the enzyme acts upon | Formed by the specific three-dimensional arrangement of amino acids in the enzyme |
| Can be a single molecule or multiple molecules, depending on the reaction | Can be very specific, binding only one particular substrate, or more general, binding a variety of substrates |
| Undergoes a chemical reaction with the help of an enzyme | Catalyzes the chemical reaction, lowering the activation energy |
Understanding the difference between substrate and active site is crucial for comprehending how enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions.
- Active Site vs Binding Site
- Allosteric Site vs Active Site
- Substrate vs Product
- Substrate Specificity vs Bond Specificity
- Enzyme Activity vs Specific Activity
- Substrate Level Phosphorylation vs Oxidative Phosphorylation
- Active vs Inactive Ingredients
- Catalyst vs Enzyme
- Enzyme Activator vs Enzyme Inhibitor
- Active Transport vs Passive Transport
- Protein Subunit vs Domain
- Diffusion vs Active Transport
- Active vs Passive Diffusion
- Synthesis Reaction vs Substitution Reaction
- Phosphorylase vs Phosphatase
- Metalloenzymes vs Metal Activated Enzymes
- Reactants vs Products
- Activated Complex vs Transition State
- Active Transport vs Facilitated Diffusion