Protein-templated synthesis of dinucleotide repeat DNA by an antiphage reverse transcriptase

Scientists discovered a novel mechanism in which an antiphage reverse transcriptase uses a protein as a template to synthesize DNA with dinucleotide repeats. This study was published in the journal Science in 2026, Volume 392, Issue 6804, pages 1274-1281. Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that normally synthesizes DNA from an RNA template. In this case, however, the enzyme operates differently, being guided by a protein template instead of a traditional nucleic acid. Dinucleotide repeats are DNA sequences consisting of two nucleotides that repeat. This discovery may have implications for understanding the evolution of genetic mechanisms and potential applications in biotechnology.