kinase

American  

[kahy-neys, -neyz, kin-eys, -eyz] / ˈkaɪ neɪs, -neɪz, ˈkɪn eɪs, -eɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a transferase that catalyzes the phosphorylation of a substrate by ATP.

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kinase British  

/ ˈkɪn-, ˈkaɪneɪz /

noun

1. any enzyme that can convert an inactive zymogen to the corresponding enzyme

2. any enzyme that brings about the phosphorylation of a molecule

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kinase Scientific  

/ kī′nās′,-nāz′,kĭn′ās′,-āz′ /

1. Any of various enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a phosphate group from a donor, such as ADP or ATP, to an acceptor.

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Etymology

Origin of kinase

First recorded in 1900–05; kin(etic) + -ase

Example Sentences

One of these proteins is dual leucine zipper kinase, or DLK, which acts as a sensor for neuronal damage and becomes active when metabolism is disrupted.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Both the Terns pill, code-named TERN-701, and Scemblix are second-generation versions of drugs that inhibit a growth promoter of cancer cells, called tyrosine kinase.

From Barron's • Dec. 9, 2025

A protein kinase activated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate, an intracellular signaling molecule.

From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2024

In testing this theory, the researchers found that they could recreate the disease in human liver cells just by increasing the amount of the normal kinase.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

"Our crystal structure showed how one of our potent inhibitors interacts with STK33 kinase in three dimensions. This enabled us to model and design our final compound, CDD-2807, for better drug-like properties."

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024