Showing results for ligase. Search instead for ligases.

ligase

American

[lahy-geys, -geyz] / 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.

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

Beckmann's team has now demonstrated how this substep works: When the translation has finished, the E3 ligase recognizes the large subunit of the ribosomes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2024

This alteration is recognized by a ubiquitin ligase, thus marking the protein for degradation.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

The RNA primers are replaced with DNA nucleotides; the DNA remains one continuous strand by linking the DNA fragments with DNA ligase.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

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

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