Question

Which step occurs in the cytoplasm?

1) Reverse transcriptase conversion of RNA to linear DNA
2) Host RNA polymerase transcribing Provirus to produce viral RNA
3) Integrase integrating viral linear DNA into host genome to form a provirus

Answer 1

Reverse transcription occurs in the cytoplasm, where the enzyme reverse transcriptase converts viral RNA to DNA, which then becomes a double-stranded provirus.

Step-by-step explanation:

The step that occurs in the cytoplasm is when the reverse transcription of viral RNA to DNA takes place. Retroviruses, like HIV, carry the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which synthesizes a complementary strand of DNA (cDNA) from the viral RNA template.

This single-strand of DNA then forms a double-strand of DNA, known as a provirus. Although integrase does integrate viral DNA into the host genome, this happens inside the nucleus and not in the cytoplasm. The formation of viral RNA and proteins from the newly integrated viral DNA also occur within the nucleus. Only steps involving the conversion of viral RNA to viral DNA and the initial synthesis of viral components occur in the cytoplasm.