An enzyme that cuts protein chains by removing amino acids one at a time from the end of the chain that has a free amino group.
From amino- + peptidase (enzyme that breaks peptide bonds, from peptide + -ase enzyme suffix). Named in early 20th-century biochemistry as scientists identified and classified protein-cutting enzymes.
Aminopeptidases are your digestive system's precision surgeons—while other enzymes make rough cuts in protein, aminopeptidases delicately snip one amino acid at a time from the end, like peeling a label off one corner at a time.
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