peptidase
Sign in to savethumb|250px|Ribbon diagram of a protease ([[TEV protease) complexed with its peptide substrate in black with catalytic residues in red ()]] A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. They do this by cleaving the peptide bonds within proteins by hydrolysis, a reaction where water breaks bonds. Proteases are involved in numerous biological pathways, including digestion of ingested proteins, protein catabo
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Based on catalytic residue
- Peptide lyases
- Based on evolutionary phylogeny
- Based on optimal pH
- Enzymatic function and mechanism
- Catalysis
- Specificity
- Degradation and autolysis
- Biodiversity of proteases
- Plants
- Animals
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Archaea
- Tumours
- Uses
- Inhibitors
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|250px|Ribbon diagram of a protease ([[TEV protease) complexed with its peptide substrate in black with catalytic residues in red ()]] A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. They do this by cleaving the peptide bonds within proteins by hydrolysis, a reaction where water breaks bonds. Proteases are involved in numerous biological pathways, including digestion of ingested proteins, protein catabolism (breakdown of old proteins), and cell signaling.
In the absence of functional accelerants, proteolysis would be very slow, taking hundreds of years. Proteases can be found in all forms of life and viruses. They have independently evolved multiple times, and different classes of protease can perform the same reaction by completely different catalytic mechanisms.