exonuclease

noun

exo·​nu·​cle·​ase ˌek-sō-ˈnü-klē-ˌās How to pronounce exonuclease (audio)
-ˈnyü-,
-ˌāz
: an enzyme that breaks down a nucleic acid by removing nucleotides one by one from the end of a chain compare endonuclease

Examples of exonuclease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Is it digested by exonuclease? Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2010 One of these advantageous proteins is an enzyme called exonuclease (ExoN), which helps the virus proofread and correct copies as they are made. Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 23 June 2020 Double stranded DNA fragments with overlapping sequence stretches are inserted into a reaction, and exonuclease enzymes chew back one end of each piece, exposing complementary sequences that link up, joining the two fragments together. Jeffrey Marlow, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exonuclease was in 1963

Dictionary Entries Near exonuclease

Cite this Entry

“Exonuclease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exonuclease. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

exonuclease

noun
exo·​nu·​cle·​ase ˌek-sō-ˈn(y)ü-klē-ˌās, -ˌāz How to pronounce exonuclease (audio)
: an enzyme that breaks down a nucleic acid by removing nucleotides one by one from the end of a chain compare endonuclease
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!