hydrase Biochem.
(ˈhaɪdreɪz, -eɪs)
[f. hydr- + -ase.]
Any enzyme which catalyses an addition reaction between water and a substrate or the reverse process.
| 1943 Sumner & Somers Chem. & Methods of Enzymes iv. xvii. 296 The hydrases add water to organic compounds without causing a splitting. 1961 P. D. Boyer et al. Enzymes (ed. 2) V. xxviii. 455 Among enzymes catalyzing the addition of groups to double bonds (and the reverse reaction), the hydrases (or dehydrases) form the largest group. |