Question

Genetics Question

How are transcription and the replication of novel coronavirus related?

See what you can find out about the genome of the virus and relate it to the processes we have discussed: replication of DNA, and transcription into RNA. The virus has a biology quite different from ours where we pass on genetic information by copying DNA (S phase), and dividing it (mitosis or meiosis). Since viruses make use of the hosts machinery, this difference makes their reproduction more tricky. As a class, can we figure this out?

Answer 1

Retrovirus infection and reverse transcription retrovirus new virion host cell cell membrane endocytosis uncoating ITS budding viral RNA reverse transcriptase integrase assembly reverse transcription viral RNA DNA integration proviral DNA transcription mRNA nucleus

Genetic material of corona virus is single stranded RNA.It uses host cell mechanism to reproduce.It has different types of enzymes that are involved in this mechanism.First of all the virus enters into the cell by attaching it to the receptor present on the cell surface.by the process of endocytosis it is engulfed into the cytosol. Again there is acid dependent proteolytic enzymes that dissolves the coat of virus,due to which contents of virus continues with the rest of cytosol. An enzyme called Reverse transcriptase is a RNA dependent DNA polymerase which uses RNA as a template to make complementary DNA. Then further with the help of enzyme single stranded DNA gets converted into double stranded DNA so that in can be integrated into the host cell(animal cell) with the help of integrase enzyme.

When there is transcription of the host cell, viral DNA also gets transcripted that results into the formation of viral mRNA

by the process of translation viral polypeptide is formed that contains genomic RNA  as well as toxicating proteins.The genomic RNA gets pinched of along with the plasma membrane of the host cell that will further affect the other cell present in the body.

In this way  transcription and replication of novel coronavirus is related.