protease

A protease (also called a peptidase or proteinase) is any enzyme that performs proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in a polypeptide chain. Proteases have evolved multiple times, and different classes of protease can perform the same reaction by completely different catalytic mechanisms. Proteases can be found in animals, plants, bacteria, archaea and viruses.

PROF, or Protease, is a general term for an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds in proteins or peptides. Proteases are essential for numerous biological processes, including protein turnover, signal transduction, digestion, and pathogen virulence. They are classified based on their catalytic mechanism (e.g., serine, cysteine, metallo-proteases).