What Does the Enzyme Reverse Transcriptase Do

Question

What does the enzyme reverse transcriptase do?
A) Degrades foreign DNA
B) Synthesizes RNA complementary to a DNA template
C) Synthesizes DNA complementary to an RNA template
D) Inactivates restriction endonucleases
E) Adds nucleotides to the end of DNA molecules

Accepted Answer

Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of DNA using an RNA template. It is a unique enzyme found in retroviruses such as HIV, which allows them to convert their RNA genome into DNA that can be integrated into the host cell genome. This process is known as reverse transcription. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.