reverse transcriptase

American  

[tran-skrip-teys, -teyz] / trænˈskrɪp teɪs, -teɪz /

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 British  

/ 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 Scientific  

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of reverse transcriptase

First recorded in 1970–75; transcript + -ase

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reverse transcriptase

While both drugs target the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase enzyme to prevent viral replication, they do so through entirely different biochemical pathways.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Islatravir, meanwhile, is what’s known as a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, a novel drug that is significantly more potent.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025

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.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2024

Reverse transcription never occurs in uninfected host cells—the needed enzyme reverse transcriptase is only derived from the expression of viral genes within the infected host cells.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022