====== Protease ======

A protease (also called peptidase or proteinase) is any [[enzyme]] that performs [[proteolysis]], that is, begins protein catabolism by [[hydrolysis]] of the [[peptide]] bonds that link [[amino acid]]s together in a [[polypeptide]] chain. Proteases have evolved multiple times, and different classes of protease can perform the same reaction by completely different catalytic mechanisms. Proteases can be found in animals, plants, bacteria, archaea and viruses.