deaminase

American  

[dee-am-uh-neys, -neyz] / diˈæm əˌneɪs, -ˌneɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. an enzyme that releases the amino group from a compound.

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Etymology

Origin of deaminase

First recorded in 1915–20; de- + amin(o)- + -ase

Example Sentences

A rare, aggressive form in children results from a mutation in a gene for a metabolic enzyme called adenosine deaminase 2.

From Scientific American • Sep. 14, 2021

As of last year, according to Scientific American, the FDA had approved nine gene therapies, which for the most part target rare physiological disorders, such as adenosine deaminase deficiency and lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

From Scientific American • Jan. 23, 2021

Chief among these is the fact that cytidine deaminase is toxic to mammalian cells.

From Nature • Jul. 7, 2020

Its strategy involves reprogramming retroviruses into vectors that deliver to tumours the gene that encodes the enzyme cytosine deaminase, which converts the harmless compound 5-fluorocytosine into a tumour-cell-killing derivative.

From Nature • Sep. 25, 2018

The & likeliest candidates: Lesch-Nyhan syndrome; adenosine deaminase deficiency, an immune disorder of the type that killed the famous "Bubble Boy"; and purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency, another illness of the immune system.

From Time Magazine Archive