Today
The model you are referring to is the lock-and-key model of enzyme-substrate interaction. This model proposes that enzymes have specific active sites that perfectly fit the substrate, similar to how a lock fits a key. This precise fit allows for the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex and subsequent catalysis of the reaction.
A substrate and its enzyme are like a lock and key because they have specific shapes that fit together perfectly. Just like a key must fit exactly into a lock to open it, the substrate must fit into the enzyme's active site for a reaction to occur. This specific interaction ensures that only the correct substrate is acted upon by the enzyme.
In biology the lock and key method states that an enzyme and it's substrate are complementary and only the correct substrate can bind with the enzyme, this is due to the folding in the protein structure. However this theory is outdated and the inducted fit method is a much better representation.
The lock and key model means that the substrate must perfectly fit the enzyme, and the enzyme does not change. The induced fit model is different as when the substrate fits together with the enzyme, the enzyme itself will change to either join substrates together or break a substrate down.
The lock-and-key model provides a useful illustration of how an enzyme interacts with a substrate molecule. In this model, the enzyme's active site is complementary in shape to the substrate, similar to a key fitting into a lock. This specificity allows for efficient catalysis of the reaction.
lock and key theory
An enzyme has only one substrate that it works with so it has only one function. This is called a lock and key mechanism. Other things can affect the enzyme such as temperature, pH level and levels of either the substrate or the products. High temperature can denature the enzyme (they are proteins). They can not fit the lock (substrate).
An enzyme has only one substrate that it works with so it has only one function. This is called a lock and key mechanism. Other things can affect the enzyme such as temperature, pH level and levels of either the substrate or the products. High temperature can denature the enzyme (they are proteins). They can not fit the lock (substrate).
The two models are the lock-and-key model, where the substrate fits perfectly into the enzyme's active site like a key in a lock, and the induced fit model, where the active site of the enzyme changes its shape slightly to accommodate the substrate upon binding.
The substrate fits into the enzyme, much the way a key fits in a lock. Sometimes there are other "modulators" that also fit in the enzyme.
A substrate is a molecule that fits into the active site of an enzyme. The active site is a specific region of the enzyme where the substrate binds, allowing the enzyme to catalyze a specific chemical reaction.
The Key is the substrate while the key is the enzyme. Just finished learning this :)