How to Use protease in a Sentence

protease

noun
  • Hilgenfeld thought that molecule—called a protease—could hold the key.
    — National Geographic, 28 Apr. 2020
  • One was a zinc protease used in a crayfish’s digestive system.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The second protease the researchers use is called a cysteine protease.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That window is rather narrow for all polymerase and protease inhibitors.
    — William A. Haseltine, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2020
  • Some proteases, like the ones active in our digestive system, can make cuts next to any amino acid.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The drugs work by blocking a critical enzyme, a protease, that the virus needs to replicate.
    — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 24 Mar. 2021
  • The researchers repeated this process dozens of times for both the cysteine and zinc proteases.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Malone had his eyes on a viral enzyme called the papainlike protease, which helps the pathogen replicate.
    — Brendan Borrell, Science | AAAS, 26 Apr. 2020
  • The rest of the protease may also enforce a degree of specificity on what proteins get cut.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The host cell proteases themselves also make a tempting target.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2020
  • That team showed that an inhibitor of this protease blocked coronavirus infections in cultured cells.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2020
  • Things get even more challenging if the protease target is inside a cell rather than on the exterior.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Their design is a motor that follows a trail of peptide molecules laid down on a surface for the trypsin protease to bind to.
    — The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021
  • The fungus then uses proteases to digest nematodes that get stuck in its hyphae.
    — Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Lipase breaks down fats, amylase breaks down carbs, and proteases and peptidases both break down proteins, to name a few.
    — Caroline Tien, SELF, 11 Mar. 2026
  • If a drug could prevent the main protease enzyme from working, the virus might stop replicating in cells and in turn, stop spreading throughout the body.
    — Dallas News, 1 July 2020
  • The protease inhibitors and other compounds look promising in cell and animal studies.
    — Science News Staff, Science | AAAS, 31 Dec. 2020
  • A couple of months ago a group of scientists announced their discovery of a new drug candidate that inhibits that protease.
    — William A. Haseltine, Scientific American, 6 July 2020
  • That protein—called a protease—has remained mostly unchanged across variants, Mina added.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Other amino acids in the protease help ensure these key catalytic amino acids are brought together in the right place with the right orientation.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But the proteins are first built as long strings called polypeptides; an enzyme called protease then slices them into the fragments from which proteins are assembled.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2021
  • Paxlovid is a made up of two protease inhibitors, including one used in treating HIV as a booster medicine.
    — Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2022
  • The Pfizer compound was developed to inhibit an enzyme called a protease.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 5 Apr. 2021
  • This processing is needed before the virus is able to copy its own genome, so inhibiting the protease should block viral reproduction.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 15 Dec. 2021
  • And a few are very highly specific, such as the protease that activates insulin, which only cuts near a very specific series of amino acids.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That would likely require the target cells to make the protease, which would involve delivering the gene encoding it to the cells where it’s needed.
    — ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In the stomach, this continues as acids and enzymes called proteases turn protein molecules into smaller chains of amino acids.
    — Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 18 Aug. 2025
  • And check the ingredient list for enzymes like protease, amylase and lipase, which help laundry detergent sheets handle tougher jobs.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In one lab study, Pfizer researchers tested nirmatrelvir against an enzyme called protease that the virus needs to generate copies of itself.
    — Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Its effectiveness is due to protease inhibitors in the drug that bind to viral enzymes, preventing viruses from replicating in the cell.
    — Tommy Beer, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'protease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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