Enkephalinase
Encyclopedia
Enkephalinases are enzyme
s which degrade endogenous
enkephalin
opioid
peptide
s. They include:
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 which degrade endogenous
Endogenous
Endogenous substances are those that originate from within an organism, tissue, or cell. Endogenous retroviruses are caused by ancient infections of germ cells in humans, mammals and other vertebrates...
enkephalin
Enkephalin
An enkephalin is a pentapeptide involved in regulating nociception in the body. The enkephalins are termed endogenous ligands, or specifically endorphins, as they are internally derived and bind to the body's opioid receptors. Discovered in 1975, two forms of enkephalin were revealed, one...
opioid
Opioid
An opioid is a psychoactive chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract...
peptide
Peptide
Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
s. They include:
- Aminopeptidase N (APN)
- Neutral endopeptidase (NEP)
- Dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP3)
- Carboxypeptidase A6Carboxypeptidase A6Carboxypeptidase A6 is an metallocarboxypeptidase enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CPA6 gene. It is highly expressed in the adult mouse olfactory bulb and is broadly expressed in the embryonic brain and other tissues....
(CPA6) - Angiotensin-converting enzymeAngiotensin-converting enzymeAngiotensin I-converting enzyme , an exopeptidase, is a circulating enzyme that participates in the body's renin-angiotensin system , which mediates extracellular volume , and arterial vasoconstriction...
(ACE)