Concept explainers
Knowing that retroviruses operate on the principle of reversing the direction of transcription from RNA to DNA, propose a drug that might possibly interfere with their replication.
To analyze:
A possible drug that can interfere with the replication of retroviruses.
Introduction:
It is given that the retroviruses begin their replication with the conversion of their RNA into DNA. This is carried out by a specific type of RNA-dependent DNA polymerase carried by the retroviruses.
Explanation of Solution
Retroviruses are a unique group of viruses, that carry RNA as their genetic material, but need to convert it to DNA in the host. For this, they make use of the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which is a DNA polymerase that reads RNA as the template. After converting the RNA to DNA, the DNA serves as the master code for the synthesis of all proteins needed for the replication of the virus.
A drug to control such a virus could focus on this interesting mechanism of reverse transcription. If the drug can bind to reverse transcriptase and inhibit its activity in some way (such as preventing it from binding to the RNA template, or blocking the active sites that polymerize the DNA), it can prevent the replication of the virus. This can bring the virus under control.
Retroviruses rely on the enzyme reverse transcriptase to convert their RNA to DNA; this is an essential step in the replication of the virus. If a drug can inhibit the activity of reverse transcriptase, it can prevent the virus from replicating.
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Chapter 9 Solutions
Foundations in Microbiology
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- Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (Mi...BiologyISBN:9781305117396Author:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa StarrPublisher:Cengage Learning