Aspartic protease

![Proposed mechanism of peptide cleavage by aspartyl proteases.[5]](/Images/godic/202412/22/Aspartyl_protease_mechanism4228.png")

Aspartic proteases are a catalytic type of protease enzymes that use an activated water molecule bound to one or more aspartate residues for catalysis of their peptide substrates. In general, they have two highly conserved aspartates in the active site and are optimally active at acidic pH. Nearly all known aspartyl proteases are inhibited by pepstatin.