M-MuLV reverse transcriptase: Selected properties and improved mutants

Igor P Oscorbin; Maxim L Filipenko

doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2021.11.030

M-MuLV reverse transcriptase: Selected properties and improved mutants

Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2021 Nov 22:19:6315-6327. doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.11.030. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Igor P Oscorbin¹, Maxim L Filipenko¹

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 8 Lavrentiev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.

Abstract

Reverse transcriptases (RTs) are enzymes synthesizing DNA using RNA as the template and serving as the standard tools in modern biotechnology and molecular diagnostics. To date, the most commonly used reverse transcriptase is the enzyme from Moloney murine leukemia virus, M-MuLV RT. Since its discovery, M-MuLV RT has become indispensable for modern RNA studies; the range of M-MuLV RT applications is vast, from scientific tasks to clinical testing of human pathogens. This review will give a brief description of the structure, thermal stability, processivity, and fidelity, focusing on improving M-MuLV RT for practical usage.

Keywords: Fusion proteins; M-MuLV RT; Random mutagenesis; Reverse transcriptase; Site-directed mutagenesis.

Publication types

Review