ASPARTATE PROTEASE Meaning and
Definition
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An aspartate protease is a class of enzymes that belong to the larger group of proteases, which are responsible for the degradation of proteins in living organisms. Aspartate proteases specifically utilize an aspartic acid residue within their active sites to catalyze the hydrolysis of peptide bonds in proteins. This aspartic acid residue is usually found in close proximity to another one, forming an "aspartate dyad".
Aspartate proteases are widely found across all domains of life, including bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. They play critical roles in various biological processes, such as protein turnover, cellular differentiation, immune responses, and viral replication. One prominent example of an aspartate protease is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease, which is essential for viral maturation and infectivity.
The mechanism by which aspartate proteases function involves the activation of a water molecule by the aspartate dyad, which then attacks the peptide bond, breaking it and leading to the release of the products. Due to their fundamental role in many biological processes and their prevalence across different organisms, aspartate proteases have been extensively studied and targeted for therapeutic interventions. Inhibitors of aspartate proteases have been developed as potential drugs for various diseases, including HIV, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Common Misspellings for ASPARTATE PROTEASE
- zspartate protease
- sspartate protease
- wspartate protease
- qspartate protease
- aapartate protease
- azpartate protease
- axpartate protease
- adpartate protease
- aepartate protease
- awpartate protease
- asoartate protease
- aslartate protease
- as0artate protease
- aspzrtate protease
- aspsrtate protease
- aspwrtate protease
- aspqrtate protease
- aspaetate protease
- aspadtate protease
- aspaftate protease
Etymology of ASPARTATE PROTEASE
The word "aspartate protease" can be broken down into two parts: "aspartate" and "protease".
The term "aspartate" refers to the amino acid aspartic acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and aspartic acid is one of the 20 common amino acids found in proteins. The name "aspartic acid" itself comes from the Latin word "asparagus", meaning "young shoots", as it was first discovered in the sprouts of asparagus plants.
The word "protease" originates from the Greek word "proteios", meaning "of the first rank" or "primary". It is derived from the Greek word "proteos", meaning "first" or "initial". In biology, a protease is an enzyme involved in protein digestion or degradation.
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