endonuclease

en·do·nu·cle·ase  (nd-nkl-s, -z, -ny-)

n.

Any of a group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of bonds between nucleic acids in the interior of a DNA or RNA molecule.

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endonuclease [ˌɛndəʊˈnjuːklɪˌeɪz]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biochemistry) an enzyme that is responsible for scission of a nucleic acid chain, the action of which is not confined to the terminal nucleotide Compare exonuclease

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

endonuclease - a nuclease that cleaves nucleic acids at interior bonds and so produces fragments of various sizes nuclease - general term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid by cleaving chains of nucleotides into smaller units restriction endonuclease, restriction enzyme, restriction nuclease - any of the enzymes that cut nucleic acid at specific restriction sites and produce restriction fragments; obtained from bacteria (where they cripple viral invaders); used in recombinant DNA technology