ligase

American  

[lahy-geys, -geyz] / ˈlaɪ geɪs, -geɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of enzymes that catalyze the joining of two molecules by formation of a covalent bond accompanied by the hydrolysis of ATP.

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ligase British  

/ ˈlaɪˌɡeɪz /

noun

1. any of a class of enzymes that catalyse the formation of covalent bonds and are important in the synthesis and repair of biological molecules, such as DNA

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Etymology

Origin of ligase

1961; < Latin lig ( āre ) to tie, bind + -ase

Example Sentences

For this, they designed an artificial ribozyme, R3C ligase, to investigate how individual RNA units come together to form a functional structure.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2024

In the process, they discovered the role of an enzyme, a special E3 ligase that joins a small protein modification called UFM1 to the large ribosomal subunit, as a key mechanism of recycling.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2024

Or, by introducing a kind of "molecular glue" into the cell, which attaches to the ligase and thereby induces it to recognize and mark the unwanted protein for degradation.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

The RNA primers are replaced with DNA nucleotides; the DNA remains one continuous strand by linking the DNA fragments with DNA ligase.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

DNA ligase stitches together the new foreign gene to the existing piece of DNA.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022