Science Word Wednesday: Substrate

Oct 29, 2020
By Zoe Terwilliger

Substrate

(noun. /SUB-strate/) 

What does it mean? 

In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule that an enzyme acts on. Substrates attach to enzymes and undergo an enzyme-catalyzed chemical reaction to form a new substance: the product. 

How do I use it in a sentence?

ATPases are enzymes that all bind the substrate ATP. 

What concentration of substrate was added to the solution?

Related terms

Substrate : this term sounds exactly the same but can be used to describe different things in various fields of study. Its definition depends on the context.

Enzyme : definition can be found here.

Product: what the substrate turns into

Fields of Study in which this term is commonly used

  • Biochemistry
  • Enzymology (the study of enzymes)
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Physiology
  • Biology
Edited by Anna Wheless and Emma Goldberg