What substance acts as a catalyst for biological reactions in living organisms?DNARNAenzymeinsulin
Question
What substance acts as a catalyst for biological reactions in living organisms?
- DNA
- RNA
- enzyme
- insulin
Solution
In biological systems, the substances that act as catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed in the process are primarily enzymes. Enzymes are specialized proteins that lower the activation energy needed for reactions, allowing them to occur much more swiftly and efficiently.
To elaborate, while DNA and RNA play crucial roles in the storage and transmission of genetic information, they do not function as catalysts themselves. Insulin, on the other hand, is a hormone that regulates glucose levels in the bloodstream and is not a catalyst for chemical reactions. Thus, among the options provided - DNA, RNA, enzyme, and insulin - the correct answer is enzyme.
Enzymes are highly specific to substrates and operate under optimal conditions of temperature and pH, which makes them integral to various metabolic pathways in living organisms.
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