A
deoxyribonuclease (
DNase, for short) is any
enzyme that catalyzes the
hydrolytic cleavage of
phosphodiester linkages in the
DNA backbone, thus degrading DNA. Deoxyribonucleases are one type of
nuclease, a generic term for enzymes capable of hydrolyzing phosphodiester bonds that link nucleotides. A wide variety of deoxyribonucleases are known, which differ in their
substrate specificities, chemical mechanisms, and biological functions.