deoxyribonuclease

Any enzyme (phosphodiesterase) hydrolyzing phosphodiester bonds in DNA. SEE ALSO: endonuclease, nuclease.

- acid d. SYN: d. II.

- d. I, DNase I an endonuclease that cleaves primarily double-stranded DNA to a mixture of oligodeoxyribonucleotides, each ending in a 5′-phosphate; streptodornase is a similar enzyme. Under appropriate conditions, it can produce single-strand nicks in DNA; used in nick translation and in the mapping of hypersensitive sites. SYN: pancreatic d., thymonuclease.

- d. II, DNase II an endonuclease that cleaves both strands of native DNA (as well as single-stranded DNA) to produce a mixture of oligodeoxynucleotides, each ending in a 3′-phosphate. SYN: acid d..

- pancreatic d. SYN: d. I.

- d. S₁ SYN: endonuclease S₁ Aspergillus.

- spleen d. former name for micrococcal endonuclease.

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de·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ase (')dē-'äk-si-.rī-bō-'n(y)ü-klē-.ās, -.āz also des·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ase (')des- n an enzyme that hydrolyzes DNA to nucleotides called also DNase

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n.

an enzyme, located in the lysosome of cells, that splits DNA at specific places in the molecule.

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de·oxy·ri·bo·nu·cle·ase (DNase) (de-ok″se-ri″bo-nooґkle-ās) any nuclease specifically catalyzing the cleavage of phosphate ester linkages in deoxyribonucleic acids; the deoxyribonucleases are grouped as those cleaving internal bonds (endodeoxyribonucleases) and those cleaving at termini (exodeoxyribonucleases).