Telomerase activity of reverse transcriptase
Ricchetti, M.; Buc, H.
Science 277(5328): 887
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 9281066 Document Number: 474262
It has recently been shown that, under specific in vitro conditions, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase uses a portion of its template RNA to perform a reiterative synthesis; the substrate then translocates from one end of the template motif to the other, and the enzyme maintains a stable association with its RNA. On specific template sequences, it is therefore sufficient to modify the cationic environment (from manganese chloride to magnesium chloride in the reaction buffer) in order to switch the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase mode of synthesis from a regular one to a telomerase-like reiterative synthesis (see Ligner (et al.) Science (1997) 276, 561). Thus, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase can display an appreciable telomerase-like activity, indicating that these enzymes are biochemically closely related.