Question

What is reverse transcription ? Mention the term used for the group of viruses which show this kind of transcription.

Answer 1

Reverse transcription is the synthesis of DNA from RNA template. Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme used to generate complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template, a process termed reverse transcription.

A retrovirus is a type of RNA virus that inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades thus changing the genome of that cell. Once inside the host cell cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome, the reverse of the usual pattern and thus retro (backward).