Final answer:
Separase is the enzyme responsible for cleaving cohesin proteins during the transition from metaphase to anaphase, allowing sister chromatids to separate and move to opposite cell poles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The enzyme that degrades cohesin at the metaphase to anaphase transition is called separase. During anaphase, cohesin proteins are responsible for holding the sister chromatids together. When the cell is ready to proceed from metaphase to anaphase, separase enzymatically cleaves the cohesins, leading to the separation of sister chromatids. These chromatids, now individual chromosomes, are then pulled to opposite poles of the cell by the mitotic spindle fibers attached to their kinetochores, contributing to the cell's elongation.