Enteropeptidase

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An enzyme produced in the small intestine that converts trypsinogen into its active form, trypsin, to aid protein digestion
2. A digestive protease secreted by the duodenum that triggers the activation of pancreatic trypsinogen into trypsin
3. A proteolytic enzyme found in the lining of the small intestine that starts the chain reaction releasing active digestive enzymes

Etymology: Enteropeptidase is a modern scientific coinage, built from two parts that each carry a clear meaning. The first part, "entero-", comes from the Greek "enteron", meaning "intestine", and appears in medical terms for the gut. The second part, "peptidase", is itself a compound: "peptide" (a short chain of amino acids) plus the suffix "-ase", the standard ending for enzymes. Put together, the name describes an enzyme that acts in the intestine on peptides. The word therefore names a specific protein-cutting enzyme rather than a general category. Its function is to activate other digestive enzymes, so that they can break down food properly once they reach the small intestine. The name is transparent to anyone who knows the building blocks, which is typical of the technical vocabulary that biochemists created in the twentieth century from classical Greek roots.

Synonyms: enterokinase