Inhibition of reverse transcriptase by polyvinyl sulfate (PVS)

The effect of the ribonuclease inhibitor polyvinyl sulfate on the activity of retroviral DNA polymerase and terminal c transferase was examined. This substance was found to be a potent inhibitor of these enzymes by virtue of competition between the sulfated sidechains of the molecule and the template primer for a site on the enzyme. The significance of these findings in relation to searching for reverse transcriptase is discussed.