Polymerases
Polymerases are enzymes found in all living things that catalyze the polymerization of nucleotides , the basic building blocks of nucleic acids . Their function is necessary for the reproduction of genetic information ( DNA ) in the process of replication , a prerequisite for cell division . They are also necessary for the first steps in protein biosynthesis , the production of proteins in the cell.
Polymerases produce the nucleic acids DNA or RNA . To do this, they link nucleotides in a certain order to form a nucleic acid chain. This sequence is usually given by another nucleic acid that is used as a template ( template ). Depending on the type of template and the product (RNA or DNA), a distinction is made between the following polymerases:
| Type | Abbreviation | Template → Product | function |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA-dependent DNA polymerase | DDDP | DNA → DNA | Replication |
| RNA-dependent DNA polymerase | RDDP | RNA → DNA | Reverse transcription |
| DNA-dependent RNA polymerase | DDRP | DNA → RNA | transcription |
| RNA-dependent RNA polymerase | RDRP | RNA → RNA | Replication of some RNA viruses |
| independent RNA polymerase | → RNA | ||
| independent DNA polymerase | → DNA |
Examples
An example for RNA polymerases without template ( template works) are poly (A) RNA polymerases (PAP), which the poly-A tail of mRNA to grow molecules. The deoxynucleotidyl (TdT) is a template-independent DNA polymerase.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ S. Ishino, Y. Ishino: DNA polymerases as useful reagents for biotechnology - the history of developmental research in the field. In: Frontiers in microbiology. Volume 5, 2014, p. 465, doi : 10.3389 / fmicb.2014.00465 . PMID 25221550 . PMC 4148896 (free full text).
- ↑ W. Yang: An overview of Y-Family DNA polymerases and a case study of human DNA polymerase? In: Biochemistry. Volume 53, Number 17, May 2014, pp. 2793-2803, doi : 10.1021 / bi500019s . PMID 24716551 . PMC 4018060 (free full text).