Answer:
Enzymes' shapes are important because it determines the specific substrate it will act onto.
Explanation:
The shape of the enzymes are explained by two theories, which are Lock and Key Theory and Induced Fit Theory.
<h3>Lock and Key Theory </h3>
This was first coined by <em>Emil Fischer in 1894</em>. Just like how a key has a specific keyhole, <u>enzymes' active sites are supposed to act on specific substrates to produce a catalyzed effect</u>. Incorrectly shaped keys or enzymes will not fit into a lock (substrate) not assigned for it.
<h3>
Induced Fit Theory</h3>
this theory was proposed for the substrates that do not qualify for the Lock-and-Key theory, or <u>enzymes that have more than one active sites</u>. It is said that the <u>substrate determines the final shape of the enzyme</u>, and that the<u> enzyme is somehow pliable</u>. The enzyme is then modified by the substrate to form an enzyme-substrate complex. This explains why two or more enzymes can catalyze a single substrate.
<h3>Additional notes:</h3>
For enzymes to work, they may need specific molecules.
A coenzyme may be <u>metal ions (iron, copper, magnesium)</u> or <u>organic molecules (Vitamins B2, B3, B8)</u> which attach to an enzyme to form a holoenzyme. An apoenzyme is an enzyme with only its protein part sans the cofactor.