REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE Definition & Meaning

reverse transcriptase

[ tran-skrip-teys, -teyz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Biochemistry.

a retrovirus enzyme that synthesizes DNA from viral RNA, the reverse of the usual DNA-to-RNA replication: used in genetic engineering to clone genes from RNA strands.

reverse transcriptase

/ �ٰ�æ��ˈ��ɪ��ٱ�ɪ�� /

noun

an enzyme present in retroviruses that copies RNA into DNA, thus reversing the usual flow of genetic information in which DNA is copied into RNA

reverse transcriptase

Any of a class of enzymes that catalyze the formation of DNA from an RNA template and are found in retroviruses, and also in certain body cells (such as stem cells) as the enzyme telomerase . The action of reverse transcriptase runs in the opposite direction from normal genetic transcription in the cell, in which RNA is copied from DNA. Drugs that inhibit the action of viral reverse transcriptase have been used to treat retroviral infections such as AIDS, and those that inhibit telomerase are potential anticancer agents.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of reverse transcriptase¹

First recorded in 1970–75; transcript + -ase

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

One component is the prime editor, which combines a SpCas9 protein, used in the first CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology, and a reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that transcribes RNA into DNA.

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Retrons carry an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that builds DNA strands based on RNA.

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The enzyme, reverse transcriptase, is encoded by LINE-1 elements, sequences that litter 17% of the human genome and represent artifacts of ancient infections by retroviruses.

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Having a drug from a new class is important, because the rise of resistance to one drug from any class — such as fusion inhibitors or reverse transcriptase inhibitors — often creates cross-resistance to all similar drugs.

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Eventually they realized an enzyme called reverse transcriptase had made that DNA from the attached RNA, and that all three molecules—RNA, DNA, and enzyme—formed a complex.

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