- #1
Prashasti
- 63
- 2
Hi,
Today our teacher taught us about AIDS, and she said that it has no cure, because every time the genetic material of the virus replicates, it undergoes mutations, and a new type of virus is formed. Because of this, a lot of viruses are formed, each with a different genotype. That is why antivirals are also not effective in this case.
When she taught us about its life cycle, she said that it incorporates its genetic material into the genome of the host cell (say, macrophage), using the integrase enzyme, and, when the host cell replicates its DNA, genetic material of the virus also get replicated, along with it.
My question is,
Whenever our body's DNA replicates, some repair enzymes, like DNA polymerase II and III, are involved. Don't they work over the viral DNA? If they do, then what causes errors?
I mean, they are there to detect copy-error mistakes and correct them, don't they do the same over the viral genome?
Today our teacher taught us about AIDS, and she said that it has no cure, because every time the genetic material of the virus replicates, it undergoes mutations, and a new type of virus is formed. Because of this, a lot of viruses are formed, each with a different genotype. That is why antivirals are also not effective in this case.
When she taught us about its life cycle, she said that it incorporates its genetic material into the genome of the host cell (say, macrophage), using the integrase enzyme, and, when the host cell replicates its DNA, genetic material of the virus also get replicated, along with it.
My question is,
Whenever our body's DNA replicates, some repair enzymes, like DNA polymerase II and III, are involved. Don't they work over the viral DNA? If they do, then what causes errors?
I mean, they are there to detect copy-error mistakes and correct them, don't they do the same over the viral genome?