Dipeptidases are enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

s secreted by enterocyte

Enterocyte

Enterocytes, or intestinal absorptive cells, are simple columnar epithelial cells found in the small intestines and colon. A glycocalyx surface coat contains digestive enzymes. Microvilli on the apical surface increase surface area for the digestion and transport of molecules from the intestinal...

s into the small intestine

Small intestine

The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach and followed by the large intestine, and is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. In invertebrates such as worms, the terms "gastrointestinal tract" and "large intestine" are often used to...

. Dipeptidases hydrolyze bound pairs of amino acid

Amino acid

Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...

s, called dipeptide

Dipeptide

A dipeptide is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond.Dipeptides are produced from polypeptides by the action of the hydrolase enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase. Dietary proteins are digested to dipeptides and amino acids, and the dipeptides are absorbed more rapidly...

s.

Dipeptidases are secreted onto the brush border

Brush border

A brush border is the name for the microvilli-covered surface of simple cuboidal epithelium and simple columnar epithelium cells found in certain locations of the body. Microvilli are approximately 100 nanometers in diameter and their length varies from approximately 100 to 2,000 nanometers in...

 of the villi in the small intestine, where they cleave dipeptides into their two component amino acids prior to absorption.

Dipeptidases are also found within the enterocytes themselves, performing cytosolic digestion of absorbed dipeptides.

They are exopeptidase

Exopeptidase

An exopeptidase is an enzyme produced in the pancreas that catalyses the removal of an amino acid from the end of a polypeptide chain. Exopeptidase cleaves the end of a polypeptide chain....

s, classified under EC number

EC number

The Enzyme Commission number is a numerical classification scheme for enzymes, based on the chemical reactions they catalyze....

3.4.13.