ligase

American

[lahy-gays, -gayz] / ˈlaɪ geɪs, -geɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

any of a class of enzymes that catalyze the joining of two molecules by formation of a covalent bond accompanied by the hydrolysis of ATP.

ligase British

/ ˈlaɪˌɡeɪz /

noun

any of a class of enzymes that catalyse the formation of covalent bonds and are important in the synthesis and repair of biological molecules, such as DNA

"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 ligase

1961; < Latin lig ( āre ) to tie, bind + -ase

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.

See Examples For:

ligase

The E3 ligase enzyme cleans up the cell, tagging proteins that are damaged or misfolded for destruction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The drug brings the disease-causing protein and the E3 ligase closer together, causing the E3 ligase to tag the protein for destruction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

For this, they designed an artificial ribozyme, R3C ligase, to investigate how individual RNA units come together to form a functional structure.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2024

Or, by introducing a kind of "molecular glue" into the cell, which attaches to the ligase and thereby induces it to recognize and mark the unwanted protein for degradation.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024

As synthesis proceeds, an enzyme removes the RNA primer, which is then replaced with DNA nucleotides, and the gaps between fragments are sealed by an enzyme called DNA ligase.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

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