Substrate

Real World Example

Imagine you're trying to unlock your front door with the correct key after a long day. Just as your key is specifically designed to fit and turn the lock, a substrate is a particular molecule that fits into the active site of an enzyme, allowing a reaction to occur. In this analogy, the key represents the substrate, the lock is like the enzyme, and the process of unlocking the door parallels the biochemical reaction that takes place when the enzyme binds to its specific substrate.