transcriptase Biochem.
(trɑːnˈskrɪpteɪz, træn-)
[f. transcription + -ase.]
The polymerase responsible for transcription, which catalyses the formation of RNA from a DNA template; reverse transcriptase, the polymerase responsible for reverse transcription, which catalyses the formation of DNA from an RNA template.
| 1963 Spiegelman & Hayashi in Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quantitative Biol. XXVIII. 162/1 The transcribing DNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase which produces RNA complements will be referred to as a transcriptase. 1965 New Scientist 18 Mar. 713/2 An enzyme exists in cells (called ‘RNA polymerase’ or sometimes ‘transcriptase’) which is capable of reading the genic code. 1970 Nature 26 Dec. 1255/1 Research..on reverse transcriptases in animal cancer viruses and human cancer cells. 1976 Ann. Rev. Microbiol. XXX. 23 Kates & McAuslan..initially demonstrated transcriptase in poxvirus cores isolated from infected cells. |