deaminase

noun

de·​am·​i·​nase (ˌ)dē-ˈa-mi-ˌnās How to pronounce deaminase (audio)
-ˌnāz
: an enzyme that hydrolyzes amino compounds (such as amino acids) with removal of the amino group

Examples of deaminase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Splitting the enzyme, called a deaminase, into two harmless halves kept it from killing cells. Sharon Begley, STAT, 8 July 2020 Crucially, the mutations that had broken these genes could in principle be fixed with an adenine deaminase that worked on DNA. The Economist, 26 Oct. 2017 The enzyme needed is an adenine deaminase that works on DNA. The Economist, 26 Oct. 2017 Ramus was born with adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA), a condition also known as bubble boy disease that affects the immune system. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017 Creating this second base editor was harder than the first because an equivalent to the cytidine deaminase used by Dr Liu, which would be needed to pull it off, does not exist in nature. The Economist, 26 Oct. 2017 Getting to the point of mutations Base editors borrow from CRISPR's components—guide RNAs (gRNAs) and Cas9 or other nucleases—but don't cut the double helix and instead chemically alter single bases with deaminase enzymes such as TadA and ADAR. Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, 25 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deaminase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

de- + amino + -ase

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deaminase was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near deaminase

Cite this Entry

“Deaminase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deaminase. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

deaminase

noun
de·​am·​i·​nase (ˈ)dē-ˈam-ə-ˌnās, -ˌnāz How to pronounce deaminase (audio)
variants also desaminase
: an enzyme that hydrolyzes amino compounds (as amino acids) with removal of the amino group
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!