A reverse transcriptase is an enzyme used to generate complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template, a process termed reverse transcription. 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. Contrary to a widely held belief, the process does not violate the flows of genetic information as described by the classical central dogma, as transfers of information from RNA to DNA are explicitly held possible.

Reverse transcription and integration are the defining features of the Retroviridae; the common name “retrovirus” derives from the fact that these viruses use a virally encoded enzyme, reverse transcriptase (RT), to convert their RNA genomes into DNA. Reverse transcription is an essential step in retroviral replication.

The reverse transcriptase employs a "right hand" structure similar to that found in other viral nucleic acid polymerases. In addition to the transcription function, retroviral reverse transcriptases have a domain belonging to the RNase H family, which is vital to their replication. By degrading the RNA template, it allows the other strand of DNA to be synthesized. Some fragments from the digestion also serve as the primer for the DNA polymerase (either the same enzyme or a host protein), responsible for making the other strand.

HIV builds a DNA copy of its RNA genome, providing a unique target for drug therapy. Viruses are tricky. They use all sorts of unusual mechanisms during their attacks on cells. HIV is no exception. It is a retrovirus, which means that it has the ability to insert its genetic material into the genome of the cells that it infects. But, infectious HIV particles carry their genome in RNA strands. Somehow, during infection, the virus needs to make a DNA copy of its RNA genome. This is very unusual, because all of the normal cellular machinery is designed to make RNA copies from DNA, but not the reverse. DNA is normally only created using other DNA strands as a template.

The enzymes are encoded and used by viruses that use reverse transcription as a step in the process of replication. Reverse-transcribing RNA viruses, such as retroviruses, use the enzyme to reverse-transcribe their RNA genomes into DNA, which is then integrated into the host genome and replicated along with it. Reverse-transcribing DNA viruses, such as the hepadnaviruses, can allow RNA to serve as a template in assembling and making DNA strands. HIV infects humans with the use of this enzyme. Without reverse transcriptase, the viral genome would not be able to incorporate into the host cell, resulting in failure to replicate.

Thanks and Regards

Jessica

Managing Editor

Journal of HIV and Retrovirus

Email ID: Retrovirus@eurorendezvous.org