endonuclease

American

[en-doh-noo-klee-eys, -eyz, -nyoo-] / ˌɛn doʊˈnu kliˌeɪs, -ˌeɪz, -ˈnyu- /

noun

Biochemistry.

any of a group of enzymes that degrade DNA or RNA molecules by breaking linkages within the polynucleotide chains.

endonuclease British

/ ˌɛndəʊˈnjuːklɪˌeɪz /

noun

an enzyme that is responsible for scission of a nucleic acid chain, the action of which is not confined to the terminal nucleotide Compare exonuclease

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of endonuclease

First recorded in 1960–65; endo- + nuclease

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The paper is titled "Activation of CBASS-Cap5 endonuclease immune effector by cyclic nucleotides."

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

But the challenge was how to introduce the endonuclease gene and its associated genetic payload to a spot in the genome where it would work safely without inadvertently affecting other aspects of the animal’s physiology.

From Scientific American • Jan. 13, 2023

Researchers need only an enzyme that cuts DNA, such as the endonuclease Cas9, and a guide RNA molecule that directs the enzyme to cut the gene of interest.

From Nature • Sep. 26, 2017

High-molecular-weight DNA was isolated and labelled from leaf tissue of three-week old quinoa plants according to standard BioNano protocols, using the single-stranded nicking endonuclease Nt.BspQI.

From Nature • Feb. 7, 2017

Mosaic mutant F0 fish were outcrossed to AB wild-type fish and embryos were batch genotyped for transmission of the mutation using PCR and T7 endonuclease.

From Nature • Dec. 13, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023