What is the function of reverse transcriptase enzyme?

Reverse transcriptase (RT), also known as RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, is a DNA polymerase enzyme that transcribes single-stranded RNA into DNA. This enzyme is able to synthesize a double helix DNA once the RNA has been reverse transcribed in a first step into a single-strand DNA.

Which of the following types of viral genomes could be copied using reverse transcriptase?

A retrovirus is an RNA virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome.

What is the purpose of synthesizing a negative strand of RNA in a positive Ssrna virus?

The negative strand of RNA has a sequence complementary to the coding strand. Therefore, viruses that use this type of genome must synthesize the complementary plus strand upon entry into the host cell. The plus RNA strand can then be used as a template to manufacture more viral genomes (right side).

Are Virophages a type of virus or something different?

Virophages are small, double-stranded DNA viral phages that require the co-infection of another virus. The co-infecting viruses are typically giant viruses. Virophages rely on the viral replication factory of the co-infecting giant virus for their own replication. … Virophage.

Lavidaviridae
Family: Lavidaviridae
Genera and species

What do reverse transcriptase inhibitors do?

Reverse transcriptase inhibitors are active against HIV, a retrovirus. The drugs inhibit RNA virus replication by reversible inhibition of viral HIV reverse transcriptase, which reverse transcribes viral RNA into DNA for insertion into the host DNA sequence (see Fig. 51.6).

Why do retroviruses need reverse transcriptase?

Retroviruses use reverse transcriptase to transform their single-stranded RNA into double-stranded DNA. It is DNA that stores the genome of human cells and cells from other higher life forms. Once transformed from RNA to DNA, the viral DNA can be integrated into the genome of the infected cells.

Which viruses use reverse transcriptase?

Reverse transcriptases are used by viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B to replicate their genomes, by retrotransposon mobile genetic elements to proliferate within the host genome, and by eukaryotic cells to extend the telomeres at the ends of their linear chromosomes.

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Which of the following viruses would most likely have reverse transcriptase?

Reverse transcriptase is most likely to be found in which of the following? Explanation: Reverse transcriptase is commonly used by retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Reverse transcriptase is used to convert the virus RNA into DNA, which can then be inserted into the host genome.

What organisms have reverse transcriptase?

Reverse transcriptase, discovered in 1970 in retroviruses, has until recently been found only in eukaryotic organisms. Recently it was shown to occur in two groups of bacteria: myxobacteria and Escherichia coli.

What is reverse transcription?

Listen to pronunciation. (ree-VERS tran-SKRIP-shun) In biology, the process in cells by which an enzyme makes a copy of DNA from RNA. The enzyme that makes the DNA copy is called reverse transcriptase and is found in retroviruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

How does a negative-strand RNA virus replicate?

Replication of -ssRNA genomes is executed by RdRp, which initiates replication by binding to a leader sequence on the 3′-end (usually pronounced three prime end) of the genome. RdRp then uses the negative sense genome as a template to synthesize a positive-sense antigenome.

Are retroviruses positive or negative sense?

The retroviral RNA molecules are positive sense in polarity, equivalent to mRNA. During reverse transcription, the first strand of DNA synthesized is minus in polarity since it is synthesized from the positive-sense RNA molecule, which is used as the template.

What does the Mimivirus infect?

A significant fraction of pneumonia cases are of unknown cause, though a mimivirus has been isolated from a Tunisian woman suffering from pneumonia. There is evidence that mimivirus can infect macrophages.

What are viruses that infect other viruses called?

All three of these viruses are what are known as virophages, viruses that specialize in infecting other viruses. Virophages were first discovered infecting giant viruses from a water-cooling tower in 2008.

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Does genome include RNA?

What is a genome? A genome is the complete set of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses) of an organism. It is sufficient to build and maintain that organism. Each nucleated cell in the body contains this same set of genetic material.

How is reverse transcriptase inhibited?

NNRTIs block reverse transcriptase by binding directly to the enzyme. NNRTIs are not incorporated into the viral DNA like NRTIs, but instead inhibit the movement of protein domains of reverse transcriptase that are needed to carry out the process of DNA synthesis.

Would reverse transcriptase make a good drug target?

The reverse transcriptase of HIV is a key target for the antiviral treatment of AIDS. Numerous potent inhibitors of RT have been described including all of the drugs that have been currently licensed for the treatment of AIDS, but their efficacy has been limited by the emergence of drug-resistant HIV variants.

Which drug is responsible for inhibition of viral reverse transcriptase?

The NRTIs were the first class of ARVs available for the treatment of HIV infection. NRTIs inhibit the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme, which is responsible for the reverse transcription of viral RNA into DNA.

What is reverse transcription in retroviruses?

In retroviruses and LTR retrotransposons, reverse transcription is the conversion of a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) copy of the genome into a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). To avoid the loss of genetic information, the dsDNA copy is longer, on both ends, than the ssRNA from which it is derived (Fig. 1).

What does a retrovirus do?

A retrovirus is a virus that uses RNA as its genetic material. When a retrovirus infects a cell, it makes a DNA copy of its genome that is inserted into the DNA of the host cell. There are a variety of different retroviruses that cause human diseases such as some forms of cancer and AIDS.

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Do all retroviruses have reverse transcriptase?

All members of Group VI use virally encoded reverse transcriptase, an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, to produce DNA from the initial virion RNA genome. This DNA is often integrated into the host genome, as in the case of retroviruses and pseudoviruses, where it is replicated and transcribed by the host.

Which virus directed reverse transcriptase enzyme is inhibited by?

NRTIs inhibit the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme, which is responsible for the reverse transcription of viral RNA into DNA.

How does reverse transcription occur?

The process of reverse transcription generates, in the cytoplasm, a linear DNA duplex via an intricate series of steps. This DNA is colinear with its RNA template, but it contains terminal duplications known as the long terminal repeats (LTRs) that are not present in viral RNA (Fig.

How do you reverse transcription?

What are retroviruses MCAT?

Retroviruses, like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, are a unique class of viruses. The genetic material of retroviruses is single-stranded RNA with two copies per viral particle. The RNA must be converted into double-stranded DNA by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

What life cycle do retroviruses use?

The life cycle of retroviruses is arbitrarily divided into two distinct phases: the early phase refers to the steps of infection from cell binding to the integration of the viral cDNA into the cell genome, whereas the late phase begins with the expression of viral genes and continues through to the release and …