enzymes
Type: molecule Aliases: enzyme
Systems Analogy
High-speed helper tools that clamp components together, making assembly lines run a million times faster.
Biological catalysts (usually proteins) that significantly accelerate the rate of specific biochemical reactions without being consumed.
Scientific Sources & Verbatim Definitions
- Book / MonographNelson DL, Cox MM. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 8th ed. 2021. ↗
"Enzymes are highly specialized proteins with catalytic activity."