Question

What is the source of the reverse transcriptase used in recombinant DNA technology?

1) retroviruses
2) cultured fungal cells
3) either retroviruses or cultured phage-infected mammalian cells
4) plant cells
5) cultured phage-infected mammalian cells

Answer 1

Reverse transcriptase used in recombinant DNA technology is most commonly sourced from retroviruses like HIV, which require this enzyme for converting RNA into DNA within host cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

The source of the reverse transcriptase enzyme used in recombinant DNA technology primarily comes from retroviruses. These viruses contain RNA as their genetic material and use reverse transcriptase to synthesize DNA from their RNA template once inside a host cell.

This enzymatic function is an essential tool in genetic engineering, allowing scientists to create complementary DNA (cDNA) from messenger RNA (mRNA) samples.This enzyme can transcribe an RNA template into DNA, which is then incorporated into the host cell genome. Reverse transcriptase is now widely used as a laboratory tool in genetic engineering.