THE LIFE OF A
RETROVIRUS
All retroviruses are
relatively simple
entities, consisting of an RNA genome
and a
protein coat called a capsid. They
have a glycoprotein envelope which
causes them to be delicate and
unstable. Outside
of the host, they are inert particles. Retroviruses
do not contain all the pertinent machinery for transcription
and translation, which is why they are
dependant on host cells
for proliferation (6). Once the virus
infects
target cells, they manipulate the cell and use it to:
1)
synthesize viral
proteins encoded in the viral genome
2)
replicate the
viral genome
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The newly synthesized
viral proteins assemble around
a copy of the viral genome and the newly formed virions leave the cell
through cellular budding (6).
Once outside the infected cell, the viruses are able to infect more
cells. This is the basic function of all retroviruses.
