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active site

A Dictionary of Biology

active site (active centre) The site on the surface of an enzyme molecule that binds and acts on the substrate molecule. The properties of an active site are determined by the three-dimensional arrangement of the polypeptide chains of the enzyme and their constituent amino acids. These govern the nature of the interaction that takes place and hence the degree of substrate specificity and susceptibility to inhibition.

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© A Dictionary of Biology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004.

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