1. Enzymes that cleave amino acids from the ends of protein or peptide chains, one at a time.
Usage: plural form; biochemistry/molecular biology term; also called exopeptidases or terminal peptidases

Examples

• Exopeptidases work by removing amino acids sequentially from the N-terminus or C-terminus of proteins.
• Carboxypeptidases are a major class of exopeptidases that remove amino acids from the carboxyl end.
• The digestive system uses exopeptidases to break down peptides into individual amino acids.
• Aminopeptidases are exopeptidases that cleave amino acids from the amino terminus of proteins.
• In protein analysis, exopeptidases help determine the sequence of amino acids at the ends of polypeptide chains.