glossary

Nuclease

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

An enzyme that breaks apart the backbone of RNA or DNA. Breaking one strand generates a nick and breaking both strands generates a double-strand break.

An endonuclease cuts in the middle of RNA or DNA, while an exonuclease cuts from the end of the strand. Genome engineering tools like Cas9 are endonucleases.

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