reductase

American

[ri-duhk-teys, -teyz] / rɪˈdʌk teɪs, -teɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

any enzyme acting as a reducing agent.

reductase British

/ rɪˈdʌkteɪz /

noun

any enzyme that catalyses a biochemical reduction reaction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of reductase

First recorded in 1900–05; reduct(ion) + -ase

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This chemically reactive form was then tailored to interact with an enzyme abundant in cancer cells, known as thioredoxin reductase.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

The enzyme is called bilirubin reductase, and it’s a result of the degradation of red blood cells.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2024

The thylakoid membrane contains components of the light dependent reactions, photosystems I and II, and the enzyme NAD+ reductase.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

People with a condition called 5-alpha reductase deficiency have a genetic mutation that leads them to produce low levels of DHT.

From Scientific American • Oct. 29, 2018

Discovery of a novel antagonist of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase.

From Nature • Apr. 22, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023