Biology / Unit 9 Bio 1913 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Baltimore Groups IV–VII and Retroviruses
Captions available
The idea
Groups IV and V carry single-stranded RNA read or copied into mRNA; Groups VI and VII use reverse transcriptase to make DNA from RNA.
In practice
HIV, a Group VI retrovirus, reverse-transcribes its RNA genome into DNA before inserting it into the host cell's genome.
Where people slip
Reverse transcription runs counter to a cell's usual DNA-to-RNA direction— retroviruses are the named exception, not the rule.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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