Term: reverse transcriptases
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05378

Definition:
enzymes found in retroviruses that can synthesize complementary single-strands of DNA from an mRNA sequence as template. They are used in genetic engineering to produce specific cDNA molecules from purified preparations of mRNA.

Related Terms:
1) enzymes (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.E02159).
2) dna (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.D01597).
3) mrna (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03857).
4) template (<em>in biotechnology</em>) (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.T06269).
5) cdna (<em>in biotechnology</em>) (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01202).
6) sequence (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.ST06775).

Source: PAC, 1992, 64, 143. 'Glossary for chemists of terms used in biotechnology (IUPAC Recommendations 1992)' on page 165 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199264010143)

Citation: 'reverse transcriptases' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05378

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.