nucleotidase

1 9.9

An enzyme that breaks down the building blocks of DNA or RNA by removing phosphate groups

noun
/ˌnjuːkliˈoʊtədeɪs/

Specialized

: nucleotidasa

The liver produces nucleotidase to help process nucleotides by removing their phosphate groups during metabolism.

Examples

Researchers measured the activity of nucleotidase in different tissue samples.
A deficiency in nucleotidase can affect the breakdown of nucleotides in the body.
The liver produces nucleotidase to help process nucleotides during metabolism.
The nucleotidase enzyme plays a crucial role in DNA metabolism.
Many nucleotidases are involved in cellular signaling pathways.
Researchers measured the level of nucleotidase activity in various tissue samples to study nucleotide breakdown.
A deficiency in nucleotidase can lead to issues in the body's ability to break down nucleotides effectively.

Surface Forms

nucleotidase singular

nucleotidases plural

Morphology

nucleotidase = nucleotide (semi-transparent) = nucleotide + ase

The suffix '-ase' is commonly used to denote enzymes, but understanding the specific function of 'nucleotidase' requires specialized knowledge.

Etymology

Nucleotidase comes from nucle- (from nucleus) meaning 'core' or 'center', and the ending -ase, a common enzyme ending you see in words like lipase. So a nucleotidase is an enzyme that works on nucleotides, the 'core' building blocks of DNA and RNA, and helps 'break down' those molecules by removing their phosphate parts.