proteinase
/proʊˈtiːnəˌsɪz/ · pro·tee·nuh·siz
noun
- an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins The proteinase in the stomach helps digest food.
- a specific proteolytic enzyme used in molecular biology to degrade proteins, such as proteinase K Proteinase K is commonly used to remove proteins from DNA preparations.
Synonyms
Did you know? The term proteinase was introduced before the more common term protease, and proteinase K, discovered in the 1970s, remains a staple reagent in DNA purification protocols.