Definition of "lactamase" [lactamase]

• Any enzyme that catalyzes the opening of a lactam ring, especially one that deactivates a lactam-containing antibiotic (noun)

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• "For example, in my early college research, I worked on means of overcoming penicillin beta-lactamase mechanisms of penicillin resistance."
• "Axe 2004 has performed site directed mutagenesis experiments on a 150-residue protein-folding domain within a B-lactamase enzyme."
• "Antibiotics such as penicillin are called, collectively, beta-lactams, and enzymes that break down these antibiotics and confer drug resistance are called beta-lactamases, which is why the term beta-lactamase may pop up in this blog entry from time to time."