If you are going to start discussing enzymes, get it right. Some of the main things that break down DNA are the endo and exonuclease functions (5’–>3’ or 3’–>5’ , depending on which you are talking about) of DNA polymerases.
Wait! Polymerase = builds polymers ??
Yes, but these enzymes are special and are also used during replication to take apart the DNA for various reasons.
“DNAases” just doesn’t cut it.
-Wonderwakko
And the Staff Report in question is, Would Frankenstein’s monster be possible today?
Er, I might point out that Son of Dex was just writing a quick column for a readership who are sitting there drinking coffee at work, and who don’t necessarily care whether he says “DNAases” or “endo and exonuclease functions”.
Was he incorrect? Or merely too general?
Not to mention that anyone familiar with the concepts also uses “DNAases” as a shorthand. No one would hear “DNAase” and think “polymerase”.
Son of Dex has a master’s degree in biochemisty and has spent the last two years working in a pharmaceutical lab doing studies with enzymes… so I’d bet he said what he intended to say, and got it right.
Actually, Wonderwakko, DNAases explicitly “cut it”. =)
That was a clever pun. Well, a pun, anyway.
DNAases are a catch all term for a whole class of enzymes that munch up DNA. Polymerases can remove nucleotides from a sequence. They can nick DNA, pull bits out, and then rebuild them. But I don’t believe that they chop up DNA wholesale and leave it that way, like DNAases do. Not under normal circumstances, anyway.
Can polymerase cut bits off of DNA? Yes. But, unlike DNAases, that’s not really it’s primary function, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not one of the “main things” that breaks down DNA.
Buddy if you’re going to start being snippy you better get your facts straight first. Your post has several glaring errors which show your very limited understanding of genetics. First deoxyribonucleases,abbreviated DNases not DNAases, is a scientifically acceptable term appearing in many articles that refers to any enzyme capable of specifically degrading DNA (as opposed to both DNA and RNA). Secondly the difference between endo- and exonucleases is not the direction of cleavage. Endonucleases cleave only from the terminal end, be it 5’ or 3’; Exonucleases can cleave in the middle of a strand. Finally as stated by Son of DEX, **some[/] polymerases have nuclease function. However this function is usually very limited and used to rectify errors of at most a few base pairs during replication. Functions requiring wholesale or refined cleavage are performed by more specific enzymes. Now go sit in the corner until you can play nice!
FYI nuclease-activity is fairly ubiquitous in nature: enzymes on human skin exhibit rapid digestion of raw nucleic acids. If fact, the most difficult part of working with RNA in the lab is to keep the stuff from falling apart.
In my zeal to berate Wakko for his foolish attempt to berate Son of Dex- I sped through and mistyped the above sentence: it should be reversed. I proofed it only after I submitted. Apologies. ‘Wiping egg off face…’
No, no, no! You’ve got it all backwards, SoD! The proper way to conduct yourself on a message board is to act arrogant and cocksure when you don’t know what you’re talking about, not humble and fallible when you do. Didn’t your dad teach you anything?