transcriptase etymology

Etymology:

Transcription + ase (enzyme suffix)

Meaning:

An enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of RNA molecules using a DNA or RNA template.

Origin:

The term "transcriptase" was coined in the 1960s during the early days of molecular biology research. It was first used to describe an enzyme involved in the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template during transcription. The enzyme was later found to play a crucial role in various biological processes, including gene expression, viral replication, and genetic recombination.

History:

• 1964: Howard Temin and David Baltimore independently discover an enzyme that they term "transcriptase" or "reverse transcriptase." This enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of DNA from an RNA template, a process known as reverse transcription.
• 1970: The term "RNA polymerase" is introduced to describe enzymes that synthesize RNA from a DNA template during transcription.
• 1975: Researchers find that RNA polymerases are multi-subunit complexes consisting of a core enzyme and sigma factors, which regulate transcription initiation.
• 1983: The discovery of the reverse transcriptase enzyme in HIV leads to a deeper understanding of viral replication and the development of antiretroviral therapies.
• 21st century: Ongoing research on transcriptases focuses on their structure, mechanism of action, and roles in gene regulation, disease pathogenesis, and biotechnology applications.

transcriptase relate terms

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  Etymology and Meaning The word transcription is derived from the Latin word transcribe

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• opinion

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• excelsior

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• scramble

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• fudge

  Etymology The word fudge has an uncertain etymology but there are several theories

• comprehension

  Etymology The word comprehension comes from the Latin word comprehendere which means

• succession

  Etymology The word succession comes from the Latin word succeděre which means to c

• patriot

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• history

  Etymology Greek ἱστορία historia inquiry knowledge acquired by investigati