Pyroglutamate aminopeptidase is a type of

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

that cleaves the

peptide bond In organic chemistry, a peptide bond is an amide type of covalent chemical bond linking two consecutive alpha-amino acids from C1 (carbon number one) of one alpha-amino acid and N2 (nitrogen number two) of another, along a peptide or protein cha ...

linking the N-terminal end of a polypeptide forming a cyclical

lactam A lactam is a Cyclic compound, cyclic amide, formally derived from an amino alkanoic acid through cyclization reactions. The term is a portmanteau of the words ''lactone'' + ''amide''. Nomenclature Greek_alphabet#Letters, Greek prefixes in alpha ...

to the next amino acid residue. This cyclic structure protects the polypeptide from degradation but renders the protein difficult to analyze in the laboratory. Pyroglutamate aminopeptidase may be used to cleave the cyclical lactam and will therefore leave the next amino acid with a free N-terminal.

References

{{Portal bar, Biology, border=no Proteases EC 3.4

See also

References