Whats the difference between DNA virus and HIV retrovirus?

Question

Whats the difference between DNA virus and HIV retrovirus?

Answer 1

Actually it works like this:

DNA viruses use DNA as their genetic material, just like all living beings. Inside the virion is a double stranded or single stranded DNA molecule (depending on the virus) that is transcribed and translated in the host cell, and then the DNA is replicated to make new DNA and more viruses

Retroviruses use RNA as their genetic matierial, inside a retrovirus virion you will find single stranded RNA. The RNA is reverse transcribed (the opposite of transcription) into DNA in the host cell, the viral DNA inserts itself into the host chromosome. Then the DNA is transcribed and translated as if it belonged to the host itself. This is used to make more viral RNA, and more retrovirus virions.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Abhinav provided you with an answer that is correct, but I am not sure if it was expressed in a clear enough (non specialist) language. I checked some of your previous questions and it seems you have a lot of biology questions, so you may be a high school student, and may be missing some key info to make sense of the aforementioned anser.

DNA is composed of 4 bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T), and use deoxyribose. RNA however, replaces thymine with uracyl (U), and deoxyribose with ribose, that is how one can tell them apart, the chemical composition is slightly different.

DNA is basically the master information key; while the RNA is used to transfer the information. Thus, a DNA virus will add new information to the DNA available -- that information will be about producing more virus -- while a RNA retrovirus will sneak in at the time the DNA information is decoded, it will add its own information after the DNA is read.

Answer 4

a DNA virus has aDNA as it's hereditary material but a retrovirus like HIV or any other has RNA as it's genetic material.
retrovirus uses reverse transcriptase enzyme to synthesise DNA during hereditary transmission or uses RNA itself for the purpose

Answer 5

DNA viruses have DNA strands (genome) in them and replicate using this. however retroviruses like HIV have an RNA strand (genome - genetic material) which is used to make DNA in the cell using reverse transcriptase - an enzyme which replicates mRNA to a DNA strand in host cell.