retrovirus

American  

[re-truh-vahy-ruhs, re-truh-vahy-] / ˌrɛ trəˈvaɪ rəs, ˈrɛ trəˌvaɪ- /

noun

plural

retroviruses

1. any of a family of single-stranded RNA viruses having a helical envelope and containing an enzyme that allows for a reversal of genetic transcription, from RNA to DNA rather than the usual DNA to RNA, the newly transcribed viral DNA being incorporated into the host cell's DNA strand for the production of new RNA retroviruses: the family includes the AIDS virus and certain oncogene-carrying viruses implicated in various cancers.

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retrovirus British  

/ ˈrɛtrəʊˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. any of several viruses whose genetic specification is encoded in RNA rather than DNA and that are able to reverse the normal flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA by transcribing RNA into DNA: many retroviruses are known to cause cancer in animals

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retrovirus Scientific  

/ rĕt′rō-vī′rəs /

1. Any of a group of RNA viruses whose RNA is used as a template inside a host cell for the formation of DNA by means of the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The DNA thus formed is inserted into the host cell's genome. Most retroviruses can cause cancer. Retroviruses also include HIV.

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retrovirus Cultural  

1. A virus, such as HIV, whose RNA codes for DNA, which is then inserted into some part of the host's DNA. This virus comes with its own special enzyme, called reverse transcriptase, which facilitates this insertion.

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Other Word Forms

• retroviral adjective

Etymology

Origin of retrovirus

First recorded in 1975–80; retro- + virus

Example Sentences

This is only the second example from the Australo-Papuan region, after KoRV, of a retrovirus that has colonised a genome while retaining a functional viral life cycle.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024

HIV is a retrovirus, meaning it can insert itself into the DNA of a host and lay dormant there until something stirs it out.

From Salon • Dec. 2, 2022

By far, the most successful use of antivirals has been in the treatment of the retrovirus HIV, which causes a disease that, if untreated, is usually fatal within 10–12 years after infection.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

HIV is a relatively inefficient retrovirus which affects the immune system.

From Scientific American • Jun. 9, 2022

In the early 2000s, FDA halted dozens of gene therapy trials involving a different type of virus, a mouse-derived retrovirus, when patients developed leukemia after being treated for an inherited immune disorder.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 11, 2021