An enzyme that breaks down amide bonds in molecules, helping to decompose or transform compounds containing amides.
From 'amide' + '-ase' (enzyme suffix), with the enzyme naming convention standardized in biochemistry during the 20th century. The suffix '-ase' denotes catalytic proteins.
Amidase is a perfect example of how biochemistry creates word names that tell you exactly what they do—if it ends in '-ase' and contains 'amid-', it's an enzyme that cuts amides apart, like molecular scissors with a very specific job.
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