RETROVIRUS


Meaning of RETROVIRUS in English

A type of virus that has RNA instead of DNA as its geneticmaterial. It uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to become part of the host cells' DNA. This allows many copies of the virus to be made in the host cells. The virus that causes AIDS, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a type of retrovirus.

NCI English Dictionary of Cancer Terms.      Английский словарь раковых терминов NCI(Национальный институт злокачественных новообразований).