Enzymes catalyzing simple hydrolysis of C—NH2 bonds of purines, pyrimidines, and pterins, thus producing ammonia (usually named in terms of the substrate, e.g., guanine d., adenosine d., AMP d., pterin d.); not generally used for deamination of noncyclic amides. D. are distinguished from ammonia-lyases (EC 4.3.1.x) in that the latter produce an unsaturation at the point of NH3 removal. SYN: deaminating enzymes.
Medical dictionary. 2011.