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Name: Jackie M.
Status: Student
Age: 19
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
What can happen if a copy of viral DNA is inserted into the human chromosome?


Replies:
Here is a short list:

Nothing
Cell death
Variety of minor to major cellular disfunctions
Latency of the viral genes
Expression of viral genes
Cancer

Peter Faletra Ph.D.
Office of Science
Department of Energy

This actually happens each time you have a viral infection. But in some viral infections, the viral nucleic acid is cut out again and is repackaged into new virus. In other types of viral infections, the viral DNA inserts itself into the host DNA for an extended period of time. Some scientists have proposed that the origin of the junk DNA in the human genome is inactivated viral DNA from past viral infections down the millenia.

vanhoeck


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