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Retrovirus - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Retrovirus : (noun)
1: any of a group of viruses that contain two single-strand
linear RNA molecules per virion and reverse transcriptase
(RNA to DNA)
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Retrovirus : Retrovirus: An RNA virus (a virus composed not of DNA but of RNA). Retroviruses have an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that gives them the unique property of transcribing RNA (their RNA)
into DNA. The retroviral DNA can then integrate into the chromosomal DNA of the host cell to be expressed there. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS, is a retrovirus.
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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