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I did some reading on coronaviruses and learned these viruses do not have reverse transcriptase, which would allow an RNA virus, like a coronavirus, to incorpor
by jostmey 7y ago
I did some reading on coronaviruses and learned these viruses do not have reverse transcriptase, which would allow an RNA virus, like a coronavirus, to incorporate into the host genome, becoming a permanent resident. In other words, the viruses lack the machinery necessary to convert themselves into DNA and cannot cause a chronic infection.
That said, it is possible that people co-infected with another RNA virus expressing reverse transcriptase would allow the coronavirus to incorporate into the host genome
- jimmytucson 7y agoGiven it's flu season right now, is flu an RNA virus and is there a high risk of co-infection?
- globular-toast 7y agoInfluenza is not a retrovirus either. Retroviruses include HIV and are the most beautiful viruses of all.
- MegaButts 7y ago> Retroviruses include HIV and are the most beautiful viruses of all. I honestly do not know what you mean by this. Can you please elaborate?
- globular-toast 7y agoIt's hard to appreciate without first understanding how our genetics work. That is, the mechanisms that are responsible for replicating our genomes and turning our genes into proteins. Viruses are an inevitability because they exploit vulnerabilities in those mechanisms. Viruses are not alive. Instead a virus causes "live" modifications to a living organism which causes it to simply reproduce more of the virus. When you have a virus you are essentially one with the virus; a modified organism. Retroviruses go one step further by permanently making that modification. Now you are forever modified with the extra functionality of producing more of that virus. But the really beautiful thing is how minimal these viruses are. If you've played code golf you'll appreciate it. In the smaller RNA viruses like influenza and HIV, each virion carries around exactly what it needs to make those modifications and not much more. They consist of proteins which cause our cells to accept them as well as the genome which causes our cells to make more of those proteins. They also cause our cells to reproduce the genome itself too. Eventually the cells become full of virus stuff and somehow the viruses assemble themselves back into virion, the cell dies and releases the new virions. The HIV genome is incredibly compact. It's the closest thing to design I've ever seen in biology. It packs more information into its genome than would normally be possible by utilising overlapping genes on the forward and reverse strand. It's quite remarkable just how clever, minimal and perfect it is.
- echelon 7y agoSome DNA viruses, such as the Herpesviridae, integrate into the host genome by injecting a circular plasmid into the nuclear membrane. This is why you can always have HSV, chicken pox (singles), Epstein-Bar... Granted, Coronavirus is an RNA virus, and RNA is much shorter lived and more susceptible to mutation than DNA.
- ksk 7y agoA plasmid does not 'integrate into the host genome'. The entire genome for human cells is stored inside the nucleus packaged as chromosomes. The plasmid exists outside of this, and just hijacks our replication machinery.