Final answer:
Retroviruses have a different lifestyle than DNA viruses due to their inability to replicate DNA on their own and their dependence on inactivating Rb to replicate DNA. They can infect a range of cell types but HIV primarily targets CD4-positive white blood cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Retroviruses have a very different lifestyle than DNA viruses due to several factors.
Firstly, retroviruses lack the ability to replicate DNA on their own. They have an RNA genome that must be reverse transcribed into DNA before it can be incorporated into the host cell genome.
Secondly, retroviruses need to inactivate Rb (the retinoblastoma protein) to replicate DNA. Rb is a tumor suppressor protein that regulates cell cycle progression. Inactivation of Rb allows the virus to take control of the cell cycle and replicate its DNA.
Lastly, retroviruses do not exclusively target neurons. They can infect a wide range of cell types depending on the specific retrovirus. For example, HIV, which is a retrovirus, primarily targets CD4-positive white blood cells.