X-Nico

unusual facts about reverse transcriptase



Abelson murine leukemia virus

As a retrovirus, it has a single-stranded, positive sense RNA genome which replicates via a DNA intermediate mediated by a reverse transcriptase.

Renato Dulbecco

As demonstrated by Temin and Baltimore, who shared the Nobel Prize with Dulbecco, the transfer of viral genes to the cell is mediated by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (or, more precisely, RNA-dependent DNA polymerase), which replicates the viral genome (in this case made of RNA) into DNA, which is later incorporated in the host genome.

Reverse-transcriptase inhibitor

RTIs inhibit activity of reverse transcriptase, a viral DNA polymerase that is required for replication of HIV and other retroviruses.

Transmission of hepadnaviruses

Hepadnaviruses are Group VII viruses that possess double-stranded DNA genomes and replicate using reverse transcriptase.


see also

Avian sarcoma leukosis virus

Much debate in the scientific community surrounded this issue until DNA integration was demonstrated by Temin in 1968 and reverse transcriptase was independently discovered by both Temin and David Baltimore in 1970.