chymotrypsin

American  

[kahy-moh-trip-sin] / ˌkaɪ moʊˈtrɪp sɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a proteolytic enzyme, found in pancreatic juice, that catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins into polypeptides and amino acids.

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chymotrypsin British  

/ ˌkaɪməʊˈtrɪpsɪn /

noun

1. a powerful proteolytic enzyme secreted from the pancreas in the form of chymotrypsinogen, being converted to the active form by trypsin

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Other Word Forms

• chymotryptic adjective

Etymology

Origin of chymotrypsin

First recorded in 1930–35; chyme + -o- + trypsin

Compare meaning

How does chymotrypsin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• chymotrypsin vs. trypsin

Example Sentences

Tom worked with David Blow on interactions of the enzyme chymotrypsin with its substrates, and Joan with Francis Crick, Sydney Brenner and Mark Bretscher on messenger RNA.

From Nature • Oct. 29, 2018

The intestinal brush border enzyme enteropeptidase stimulates the activation of trypsin from trypsinogen of the pancreas, which in turn changes the pancreatic enzymes procarboxypeptidase and chymotrypsinogen into their active forms, carboxypeptidase and chymotrypsin.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The pancreas releases most of the digestive enzymes, including the proteases trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase, which aid protein digestion.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

In the presence of cancers, West found, the chymotrypsin inhibitor is greatly multiplied.

From Time Magazine Archive

As they investigated subtilisin's complex structure, the scientists realized that it had a curious similarity to another enzyme, chymotrypsin, common to all vertebrates, including man.

From Time Magazine Archive