Illustration of DNA polymerase being selected to transcribe RNA into DNA in an emulsion PCR reaction UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, JARED ELLEFSON
RNA polymerases are sloppy. A retrovirus with an RNA genome, which is copied into DNA by a reverse transcriptase, is prone to mutations because the enzyme lacks the 3’ to 5’ proofreading capability of DNA polymerases. Scientists have now created a synthetic reverse transcriptase using directed evolution, they reported in a paper published last week (June 24) in Science.
The team, led by by Jared Ellefson and Andrew Ellington at the University of Texas, Austin, has dubbed this enzyme a reverse transcription “xenopolymerase,” or RTX. In their paper, the authors suggested RTX could be a valuable molecular tool, particularly for transcriptomics.
To amplify transcripts, scientists normally rely on a two-step process: copying RNA into DNA and then amplifying the DNA with a DNA polymerase. But ...
