Retrovirus Examples
Retroviruses are a family of viruses that are classified by their structure and how they replicate in a host. Some examples of retroviruses are:
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that weakens the body’s immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection. HIV spread through contact with certain bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluids. It does not spread by kisses, hugs, or sharing food. HIV can also spread from a mother to her baby. If left untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS, the late stage of HIV infection when the body’s immune system is badly damaged. There is currently no cure for HIV, but it can be controlled with proper medical care.
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a virus that infects T cells, a type of white blood cell, and can cause leukemia and lymphoma. It’s also known as human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, or adult T-cell lymphoma virus type 1. HTLV-1 is spread by sharing needles or syringes, through blood transfusions, or from mother to child during birth or breastfeeding.
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2)
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) is a retrovirus that can infect cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. It’s associated with rare hematologic malignancies, such as atypical hairy cell leukemia, large granular lymphocytic leukemia, and mycosis fungoides.
Retrovirus
Retrovirus replication initiates with the attachment of viral envelope proteins to specific receptors on host cell membranes. Subsequently, the virus fuses with the host cell membrane, releasing viral RNA into the cytoplasm. The enzyme reverse transcriptase converts the viral RNA into DNA, which then integrates into the host cell’s genome.
Host cellular machinery transcribes the integrated viral DNA into RNA, translating it into viral proteins. In this article, we will study the structure, life cycle, and replication of retrovirus with examples.
Table of Content
- What is Retrovirus?
- Structure of Retrovirus
- Retrovirus Genome
- Retrovirus Life Cycle
- Retrovirus Replication Steps
- Difference Between Retrovirus And Virus
- Retroviral Vectors
- Retrovirus Examples
- Endogenous Retrovirus