Drugs for blocking human host cells

[Raghav Gupta]

Homework Statement

The activity of drugs 1 to 5 is given as follows:
Drug #1: blocks RNA-dependent RNA polymerases
Drug #2: blocks DNA-dependent RNA polymerases
Drug #3: blocks RNA-dependent DNA polymerases
Drug #4: blocks DNA-dependent DNA polymerases
Drug #5: blocks ribosomes
Using this information, answer the following questions:
a) Which of these drugs blocks human host cells? Why?
b) Which drug is feasible to block retroviruses? Why?
c) Which of the drugs is completely ineffective for human host cells?

Homework Equations

Don't know if equation is required here.

The Attempt at a Solution

Drug 3 would be suitable for b option since retrovirus by reverse transcriptase make DNA out of RNA.
For a) part I am not getting what it means by human host cell here and relation.

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Consider which of these activities are present in human cells. Do human cells contain RNA-dependent RNA polymerases? If so, the drug will have an effect on human host cells. If not, it will have no effect.

 

[Raghav Gupta]

Human cells contain DNA dependent Dna polymerase and DNA dependent RNA polymerase. Humans also have ribosomes for producing proteins.
So for a) correct drugs are 2,4 and 5? reason can be since they are responsible for functioning of human cellls?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Human cells contain DNA dependent Dna polymerase and DNA dependent RNA polymerase. Humans also have ribosomes for producing proteins.
So for a) correct drugs are 2,4 and 5? reason can be since they are responsible for functioning of human cellls?

Yes, that sounds correct to me.

 

[Raghav Gupta]

So c will have answer 1 and 3. since in human cell there is no activity as such and b part will only be drug 3?

 

[Ygggdrasil]

It depends by what one means by efficiency. I would not consider a ribosome inhibitors that kills human cells as an effective medicine (presumably one does not want to take drugs that will damage one's own cells). Because drugs 2, 4, and 5 have an effect on human cells, I would consider them ineffective as medicines.

 

[Raghav Gupta]

No but I think the question here does not mean if the medicine is useful or not.
My logic is that 2 ,4 and 5 will have an effect on human host cells but 1 and 3 would not be able to effect human host cell as human doesn't show properties related to drugs 1 and 3.