MW: 47,515 Da. Proteases (also called Proteolytic Enzymes, Peptidases, or Proteinases) are enzymes that hydrolyze the amide bonds within proteins or peptides. Most proteases act in a specific manner, hydrolyzing bonds at or adjacent to specific residues or a specific sequence of residues contained within the substrate protein or peptide. Proteases play an important role in most diseases and biological processes including prenatal and postnatal development, reproduction, signal transduction, the