Final answer:
Enzymes play a vital role in catalyzing chemical reactions, regulating metabolism, and cell signaling but do not store genetic information; that function is reserved for nucleic acids.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of an enzyme does not include storing genetic information. The primary functions of enzymes include catalyzing chemical reactions, regulating metabolic processes, and assisting in cell signaling. Enzymes are biological catalysts that accelerate biochemical reactions in living organisms by lowering the activation energy needed for those reactions. They are very specific, meaning they typically catalyze only one or a few types of reactions, and are crucial for various metabolic pathways. These include breaking down food into energy, synthesizing molecules, and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Enzymes bind to substrates to stabilize transition states and increase the rate of reactions without altering the overall free energy of the reactants and products.
However, enzymes do not have the capacity to store genetic information; this role is primarily performed by nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.