Ribonuclease H(70) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses cryptic reverse transcriptase activity.

Yeast cells contain a protein of molecular size 70 kDa that possesses RNase H activity. A polyclonal antibody against it reacts in addition with proteins of molecular sizes 160 kDa from yeast extracts. All these immunologically related proteins exhibit reverse transcriptase activity and in this respect they resemble the products of retroviral pol genes, relatives of which reside in Ty elements and mitochondrial introns of yeast. Experimental evidence, however, indicates that the protein described here that combines RNase H and reverse transcriptase activity is not coded for by a known element of the retrotransposon family. It may originate from a cellular gene distantly related to retrotransposon sequences.