page_title: Polymerase
hierarchical_section_title: Polymerase
caption_attribution_description: STRUCTURE OF TAQ DNA POLYMERASE
context_page_description: A polymerase is an enzyme that synthesizes long chains of polymers or nucleic acids. DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase are used to assemble DNA and RNA molecules, respectively, by copying a DNA template strand using base-pairing interactions or RNA by half ladder replication.
  A DNA polymerase from the thermophilic bacterium, Thermus aquaticus is used in the polymerase chain reaction, an important technique of molecular biology.
  A polymerase may be template dependent or template independent. Poly-A-polymerase is an example of template independent polymerase. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase also known to have template independent and template dependent activities.
context_section_description: A polymerase is an enzyme (EC 2.7.7.6/7/19/48/49) that synthesizes long chains of polymers or nucleic acids. DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase are used to assemble DNA and RNA molecules, respectively, by copying a DNA template strand using base-pairing interactions or RNA by half ladder replication.
  A DNA polymerase from the thermophilic bacterium, Thermus aquaticus (Taq) (PDB 1BGX, EC 2.7.7.7) is used in the polymerase chain reaction, an important technique of molecular biology.
  A polymerase may be template dependent or template independent.  Poly-A-polymerase is an example of template independent polymerase.  Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase also known to have template independent and template dependent activities.
caption: Structure of Taq DNA polymerase
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