Polymerase
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225775354
2008-07-15T10:08:47Z
MattieTK
434929
Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/203.87.179.78|203.87.179.78]] to last version by ClueBot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
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A '''polymerase''' (EC 2.7.7.6/7/19/48/49) is an [[enzyme]] whose central function is associated with [[polymer]]s of [[nucleic acid]]s such as [[RNA]] and [[DNA]].
The primary function of a polymerase is the [[polymerization]] of new DNA or RNA against an existing DNA or RNA template in the processes of [[DNA replication|replication]] and [[Transcription (genetics)|transcription]]. In association with a cluster of other enzymes and proteins, they take [[nucleotide]]s from solution, and catalyse the synthesis of a polynucleotide sequence against a [[nucleotide]] template strand using base-pairing interactions.
It is an accident of history that the enzymes responsible for the catalytic production of other [[biopolymer]]s are not also referred to as polymerases.
One particular polymerase, from the [[thermophile|thermophilic]] [[bacteria|bacterium]], ''[[Thermus aquaticus]]'' (''Taq'') ([[Protein data bank|PDB]] [http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/cgi/explore.cgi?pid=288631034363198&pdbId=1BGX 1BGX], EC 2.7.7.7) is of vital commercial importance due to its use in the [[polymerase chain reaction]], a widely-used technique of [[molecular biology]].
Other well-known polymerases include:
*[[Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase]] (TDT), which lends diversity to antibody heavy chains
*[[Reverse Transcriptase]], an enzyme used by [[RNA]] [[retrovirus]]es like [[HIV]], which is used to create a complementary strand to the preexisting strand of viral [[RNA]] before it can be integrated into the [[DNA]] of the [[host (biology)|host]] [[cell (biology)|cell]]. It is also a major target for antiviral drugs.
==See also==
*[[DNA polymerase]]
**[[DNA polymerase I]]
**[[DNA polymerase II]]
**[[DNA polymerase III holoenzyme]]
**[[DNA Polymerase IV]] (DinB) – [[SOS response|SOS]] repair polymerase
*[[RNA polymerase]]
**[[RNA polymerase I]]
**[[RNA polymerase II]]
**[[RNA polymerase III]]
**[[T7 RNA polymerase]]
{{Phosphotransferases}}
{{Polymerases}}
{{DNA replication}}
[[Category:EC 2.7.7]]
[[Category:Enzymes]]
[[da:Polymerase]]
[[de:Polymerase]]
[[es:Polimerasa]]
[[fr:Polymérase]]
[[it:Polimerasi]]
[[pl:Polimeraza]]
[[pt:Polimerase]]
[[uk:Полімерази]]