active site

noun

Definition of active site

: a region on the surface of an enzyme whose shape permits binding only of a specific molecular substrate that then undergoes catalysis

Examples of active site in a Sentence

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The two churches were able to retain their names and will continue as active sites of the new parish. — Maryann Pisano, chicagotribune.com, "'The Fourth of July brings everyone together': Newly united parish among 75 entrants in Elmwood Park parade," 7 July 2018 The nation’s active sites get an average of 8,700 requests to access their stocks annually, according to Peter Bretting, who oversees the system. — Sena Christian, Newsweek, "Breakfast in Post-Apocalypse America: Inside Colorado's Fort Knox of Food," 19 Nov. 2015 Citrus samples are sent from the USDA active site collection in Riverside, California. — Sena Christian, Newsweek, "Breakfast in Post-Apocalypse America: Inside Colorado's Fort Knox of Food," 19 Nov. 2015 This method revealed five particular amino acids that comprise the likely active site. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "A randomly generated, totally novel enzyme rescues mutant bacteria," 20 Jan. 2018 At these active sites, crop species experts evaluate, grow and distribute germplasm to researchers, professors and breeders worldwide. — Sena Christian, Newsweek, "Breakfast in Post-Apocalypse America: Inside Colorado's Fort Knox of Food," 19 Nov. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'active site.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of active site was in 1957

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active site

noun

Medical Definition of active site

: a region especially of a biologically active protein (as an enzyme) where catalytic activity takes place and whose shape permits the binding only of a specific reactant molecule