What is a reverse transcriptase?
Reverse Transcriptase is the type of enzyme found in viruses called retroviruses that include HIV, Hepatitis B virus and some cancer viruses. Retroviruses have RNA instead of DNA as their genetic code and are able to do something that most other cells cannot - can perform a reverse process for transcription. In other words, they can make DNA from RNA. Reverse transcriptase, as the name suggests, is involved in this process.
In most cells, DNA carries genetic information. During transcription, DNA molecules are coded into RNA molecules. These RNA molecules are then used in cytoplasm cells to form proteins during the translation process. Proteins determine what cells the cells do because they form enzymes and such molecules.
All viruses are parasites that live outside their host cells. Most consist only of their genetic code, while several of them also contain enzymes such as retroviruses and reverse recruitment. To reproduce must viruses infectionOut the host and then use the host cells to hand over their genes. There are a number of different ways to reproduce viruses, including the use of reverse transcriptase retroviruses.
When retroviruses infect hosts, they often enter the host cells and lose a protective coat during the process. As soon as there is a reverse transcriptase in the host cell, reverse transcriptase performs the process of reverse transcription, creating a copy of the DNA of the RNA virus. This DNA is referred to as cdna because it is a additional DNA chain on RNA.
After creating a CDNA, a copy of the host cell is integrated into the bottom of the host cell. CDNA and genes that contain often become a permanent addition to the host DNA. CDNA is now copied and rewritten and translated with the rest of the DNA enzyme of the host cell during regular DNA replication, exceeding seption and translation. In this way, the virus is able to create additional copies of yourself and its enzyme,which are then excluded from the cell and can continue to attack other cells.
Reverse transcriptase was discovered in 1970 and has since played an important role in genetic engineering. This enzyme was isolated from viral cells and then used to produce copies of DNA from different cells. One example of how reverse transcriptase was used is to duplicate DNA, which codes for a particular protein in a particular organ - insulin is one of such examples.
diabetics were required to use horses or pig insulin for their injections. With the advent of genetic engineering, human insulin can now be produced. First, Messenger RNA or MRNA, which bears instructions for insulin production, is isolated from pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Reverse transcriptase is added to MRNA so it can produce a copy of DNA or CDNA. CDNA now carries insulin generation and can be used to make large quantities for use by those who need it.