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Glite Dictionary
deaminase

deaminase

9.6
An enzyme that removes an amino group from an amino acid or molecule
  • noun
  • /ˌdiːəˈmɪneɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : deaminasa
  • Researchers have discovered that the deaminase enzyme is essential for properly functioning T-cells.
  • deaminase enzyme

Examples

  • Myodenylate deaminase deficiency

    Academic text (2005)

  • The adenosine deaminase enzyme plays a crucial role in the immune system by removing amino groups from nucleotides.

  • A deficiency in the deaminase enzyme can lead to severe immunodeficiency in affected individuals.

Compounds

adenosine deaminase
  • Specialized
8.4

A protein in animals that changes the chemical adenosine into inosine

Surface Forms

deaminase singular
deaminases plural

Morphology

deaminase = deaminate (semi-transparent) = de + amin + ase

For someone who knows the scientific verb 'deaminate' and the enzyme suffix '-ase', the meaning is fairly clear, but the formation is specialized and involves stem alternation rather than a fully ordinary everyday pattern.

Etymology

Deaminase breaks into three parts: de- 'remove', amino — the same amino you see in amino acid — 'the part with nitrogen', and -ase 'enzyme'. So, a deaminase is an enzyme that 'removes' the amino or nitrogen part from a molecule, which is exactly what the word means today.