eksoneukleolüütiline

Eksoneukleolüütiline refers to an enzymatic activity that degrades nucleic acids from their ends. Specifically, it describes enzymes that can cleave phosphodiester bonds sequentially from the 5' or 3' terminus of a DNA or RNA molecule. These enzymes are distinct from endonucleases, which cleave nucleic acids internally within the strand. Exonucleases play crucial roles in various cellular processes, including DNA repair, replication, recombination, and RNA degradation. For instance, during DNA replication, certain exonucleases are involved in proofreading and removing mismatched nucleotides from the newly synthesized strand. In RNA metabolism, exonucleases contribute to the turnover and processing of RNA molecules. The directionality of exonuclease activity is often specified, with 5'-exonucleases acting from the 5' end and 3'-exonucleases acting from the 3' end. Understanding exonucleolytic activity is important in molecular biology research and has applications in biotechnology, such as in the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents.