verb
- to remove an amino group from a molecule, especially from an amino acid or nucleotide
Usage: biochemistry; technical
Examples
- Enzymes deaminate amino acids during protein metabolism.
- The liver deaminates excess amino acids to produce urea.
- Cytidine deaminase deaminates cytidine to uridine.
- Deamination of adenine can lead to mutations in DNA.
- The body deaminates amino acids when carbohydrate intake is low.