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lactase

[ lak-teys, -teyz ]

noun

, Biochemistry.
  1. an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing lactose into glucose and galactose.


lactase

/ ˈlækteɪs; -teɪz /

noun

  1. any of a group of enzymes that hydrolyse lactose to glucose and galactose
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


lactase

/ lăktās′ /

  1. An enzyme that is found in the small intestine, liver, and kidneys of mammals and catalyzes the breakdown of lactose into galactose and glucose.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of lactase1

First recorded in 1890–95; lact- + -ase
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lactase1

C20: from lacto- + -ase
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Example Sentences

Dense populations, measured via the distribution of skeletal remains, also explained some of the pressure towards lactase persistence.

Only when famine and disease turned lactose into a liability did adults hang onto lactase, the key enzyme that breaks down the sugar.

Before that time, increasing levels of lactase persistence tended to align with population busts linked to famines in particular regions, the researchers report.

No current proposal explains how lactase persistence spread, he says.

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lactarylactate