Helicase

**Semantic type:** Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein|Enzyme

**Definition:** Helicases are a class of enzymes that utilize the energy of ATP hydrolysis to promote unwinding of 1.) RNA during transcription, splicing and translation or 2.) duplex DNA during replication or repair by binding cooperatively to single-stranded regions of DNA or to short regions of duplex DNA that are undergoing transient opening.

**Synonyms:** - Helicases