nuclease

nu·cle·ase

N0186500 (no͞o′klē-ās′, -āz′, nyo͞o′-)n. Any of several enzymes, including the endonucleases and the exonucleases, that hydrolyze bonds between nucleotides in nucleic acids.

nuclease

(ˈnjuːklɪˌeɪz) n (Biochemistry) any of a group of enzymes that hydrolyse nucleic acids to simple nucleotides

nu•cle•ase

(ˈnu kliˌeɪs, -ˌeɪz, ˈnyu-)

n. any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of nucleic acids. [1900–05]

Thesaurus

Noun

nuclease - general term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid by cleaving chains of nucleotides into smaller unitsendonuclease - a nuclease that cleaves nucleic acids at interior bonds and so produces fragments of various sizesexonuclease - a nuclease that releases one nucleotide at a time (serially) beginning at one of a nucleic acidenzyme - any of several complex proteins that are produced by cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions

Nuclease

nuclease

[′nü·klē‚ās] (biochemistry) An enzyme that catalyzes the splitting of nucleic acids to nucleotides, nucleosides, or the components of the latter.

Nuclease

a phosphodiesterase enzyme that splits nucleic acids into mononucleotides and oligonucleotides.

Nucleases are widely distributed in the cells of microorganisms, plants, and animals. These enzymes are especially abundant in pancreatic juice and in the saliva of mammals and man. A distinction is made between 3′ and 5′ nucleases, depending on whether the enzyme splits the phosphodiester bonds of the nucleic acid to form nucleotides that contain phosphoric acid residues on the 3’- or 5’-carbon of the carbohydrate fragment. The terminal mononucleotides are separated by exonucleases; nucleases that split bonds within the polynucleotide chain are called endonucleases. Ribonucleases and deoxyribonucleases are distinguished according to whether they split ribonucleic or deoxyribonucleic acids. Nonspecific nucleases are able to split chains of both types of acids.

Nucleases are proteins—usually basic—with a comparatively low molecular weight; for example, the pancreatic ribonuclease molecule consists of 124 amino-acid residues. The biological function of nucleases is to digest and split nucleic acids that are foreign to the organism, for example, nucleic acids of invasive viruses. This is the rationale for using nucleases to treat certain viral diseases. Nucleases participate in the repair of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by eliminating the fragmented portions of the DNA molecule from the polynucleotide chain. Nucleases also appear to play a major role in regulating the synthesis and decomposition of nucleic acids in cells. A nuclease enzyme can be used in laboratories to free preparations from a specific nucleic acid, to determine the structure of nucleic acids, and to study the mechanism of nucleic acid decomposition and synthesis.

REFERENCE

Shapot, V. S. Nukleazy. Moscow, 1968.

I. B. ZBARSKII

nuclease

[noo´kle-ās] any of a group of enzymes that split nucleic acids into nucleotides and other products.

nu·cle·ase

(nū'klē-ās), General term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid into nucleotides or oligonucleotides by cleaving phosphodiester linkages. For nucleases not listed here, see the specific term. Compare: exonuclease, endonuclease.

nuclease

(no͞o′klē-ās′, -āz′, nyo͞o′-)n. Any of several enzymes, including the endonucleases and the exonucleases, that hydrolyze bonds between nucleotides in nucleic acids.

nuclease

An enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond of polynucleotide chains and phosphate-deoxyribose bonds within (endonuclease) or at the end (exonuclease) of a nucleotide sequence (nucleic acid). Nucleases are produced by most biologic systems and usually recognise a specific substrate, such as single- or double-stranded DNA or RNA.

nu·cle·ase

(nū'klē-ās) General term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid into nucleotides or oligonucleotides.
Compare: exonuclease, endonuclease

nuclease

Any one of several enzymes that break down NUCLEIC ACIDS.

nuclease

any enzyme that promotes hydrolysis of NUCLEIC ACIDS. For example, DNase, which catalyses the breakdown of DNA into individual DNA NUCLEOTIDES. The enzyme cleaves PHOSPHODIESTER BONDS of the nucleic acid. See ENDONUCLEASE, EXONUCLEASE.

nuclease

nu·cle·ase

nuclease

nu•cle•ase

Nuclease

nuclease

Nuclease

REFERENCE

nuclease

nuclease

nu·cle·ase

nuclease

nuclease

nu·cle·ase

nuclease

nuclease

nuclease

Words related to nuclease

noun general term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid by cleaving chains of nucleotides into smaller units

Related Words