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Glite Dictionary
polymerase

polymerase

5 9.6
A protein that builds DNA or RNA by joining small parts to an existing strand
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒlɪməreɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polimerasa
  • Animation shows how an RNA polymerase pulls the DNA structure apart and forms an RNA transcript.
  • polymerase chain
  • polymerase chain reaction
  • DNA polymerase

Now can we use DNA polymerase to extend this primer?

Examples

  • Once it is turned on, the RNA polymerase starts walking down the DNA double Helix, making messenger RNA.

  • During DNA replication, the polymerase enzyme synthesizes a new strand by adding nucleotides complementary to the existing DNA template.

  • Another useful test is the polymerase chain reaction assay, but it is not widely available, primarily because of its high cost.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Second, the virus polymerase also functions as a reverse transcriptase.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The HLA alleles were determined by polymerase chain reaction.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Key to finding markers is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

    Academic text (2003)

  • Inoue et al. suggested that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing provides a more rapid and reliable diagnosis.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Once identified, microsatellites are amplified using the polymerase chain reaction and sized using gel electrophoresis or an automated sequencer.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The single technological breakthrough that allowed widespread application of DNA-level studies to marine ecology is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

    Academic text (2009)

  • Rapid detection of M. tuberculosis can be facilitated by performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or LCR testing.

    Academic text (2006)

Compounds

RNA polymerase
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A protein in cells that makes RNA by copying DNA

DNA polymerase
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A protein that makes new DNA strands using an existing strand as a guide during cell division

Surface Forms

polymerase singular
polymerases plural

Morphology

polymerase = polymer (semi-transparent) = polymer + ase

Formed from 'polymer' + the technical enzyme-forming suffix '-ase'; the suffix is specialized vocabulary so the full meaning may not be obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Polymerase comes from Greek parts poly- 'many', mer- 'part', and the ending -ase 'enzyme', as in lactase. So a polymerase is an enzyme that joins many small parts into long chains, which is what it does when it builds DNA or RNA.