Polimerazs

Polimerazs are enzymes that synthesize long chains of polymers, most notably nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. They achieve this by catalyzing the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotide monomers. DNA polymerases are crucial for DNA replication, where they copy an existing DNA strand to create a new one. RNA polymerases are essential for transcription, the process of creating an RNA copy from a DNA template. These enzymes read a template strand and add complementary nucleotides to the growing polymer chain, typically in a 5' to 3' direction.

The activity of polymerases involves binding to a template molecule and initiating synthesis. For DNA polymerases, this often requires a primer, a short strand of nucleotides that provides a starting point. RNA polymerases can typically initiate synthesis de novo. Polymerases possess intrinsic proofreading capabilities in some cases, allowing them to correct errors during synthesis and maintain the fidelity of genetic information. Mutations in polymerase genes can lead to various cellular dysfunctions and diseases. In biotechnology, polymerases are widely used in techniques like PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to amplify DNA.