reverse transcriptase

[tran-skrip-teys, -teyz]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. 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

/ trænˈskrɪpteɪz /

noun

1. 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

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of reverse transcriptase¹

First recorded in 1970–75; transcript + -ase

Example Sentences

The discovery of reverse transcriptase was greeted with overheated predictions that science had at last found a cure for cancer.

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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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