Retrovirus

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A Retrovirus is a Virus that inserts a copy of its RNA genomeinto the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell.



References

2022

  • (Wikipedia, 2022) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrovirus Retrieved:2022-6-17.
    • A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a copy of its RNA genomeinto the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell. Once inside the host cell's cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome, the reverse of the usual pattern, thus retro (backwards). The new DNA is then incorporated into the host cell genome by an integrase enzyme, at which point the retroviral DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell then treats the viral DNA as part of its own genome, transcribing and translating the viral genes along with the cell's own genes, producing the proteins required to assemble new copies of the virus. Although retroviruses have different subfamilies, they have three basic groups: the oncoretroviruses (oncogenic retroviruses), the lentiviruses (slow retroviruses) and the spumaviruses (foamy viruses).[1] The oncoretroviruses are able to cause cancer in some species, the lentiviruses are able to cause severe immunodeficiency and death in humans and other animals, and the spumaviruses are benign and not linked to any disease in humans or animals.[1] Many retroviruses cause serious diseases in humans, other mammals, and birds. Human retroviruses include HIV-1 and HIV-2, the cause of the disease AIDS. Also, human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) causes disease in humans. The murine leukemia viruses (MLVs) cause cancer in mouse hosts. [2] Retroviruses are valuable research tools in molecular biology, and they have been used successfully in gene delivery systems. Evidence from endogenous retroviruses suggest that retroviruses have been infecting vertebrates for at least 450 million years.
  1. 1.0 1.1 {Miller, A. D. (2006). Retroviral Vectors in Gene Therapy. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. doi:10.1038/npg.els.0005741}
  2. Coffin JM, Hughes SH, Varmus HE, eds. (1997). Retroviruses. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. .

2020