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Name: Ed
Status: Other
Grade:  Other
Location: OH
Country: United States
Date: January 2009
Question:
What benefits does the cell obtain by being able to reverse transcribe RNA back into DNA? It seems it confers more weaknesses than benefits especially with regard to hijacking by viruses and easy mutation of RNA.


Replies:
Only retroviruses naturally contain reverse transcriptase. They need this to be able to incorporate their genetic material into the host's DNA. You can't put RNA into DNA so it needs to be made into DNA first. Scientists can grab reverse transcriptase and use it as a tool in the biotech lab, but only viruses contain it naturally.

vanhoeck


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