Strand Switching During Retroviral Reverse Transcription

Abstract

A distinctive feature of the retroviral life cycle is the process of reverse transcription which results in the conversion of the single stranded RNA genome into a linear double stranded DNA copy. A principal area of research in our lab has centered on template switching during reverse transcription and the consequences of this translocation depending on whether switching occurs intermolecularly or intramolecularly. For these studies we have examined the process of nucleic acid replication in replication-competent avian reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REV).