When virions infect human cells, they inject RNA instead of DNA because only the human cells contain the reverse transcriptase to convert it to DNASingle choice
A
a) True
B
b) False

Question

When virions infect human cells, they inject RNA instead of DNA because only the human cells contain the reverse transcriptase to convert it to DNA

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let's break down the statement and evaluate each part step by step.
Option a) 'True' suggests that virions inject RNA instead of DNA because only human cells contain reverse transcriptase to convert it to DNA. This reasoning is flawed on two counts. First, not all viruses inject RNA; many viruses inject DNA, so the premise is not universally true. Second, even for RNA viruses that do involve reverse transcription (retroviruses), the reverse transcriptase enzyme is not exclusively a feature of human cells—it is carried inside the virion itself for those viruses, meaning the conversion from RNA to DNA occurs due to the viral enzyme packaged in the particle, not because human cells provide RT. This makes the statement inaccurate.
Option b) 'False' asserts the opposite of the claim, and the primary inaccuracy is exactly this: the conversion from RNA to DNA (when it occurs in retroviruses) is mediated by reverse transcriptase that the virus brings with it, not by human cell enzymes. Additionally, many RNA viruses do not rely on reverse transcription at all, and DNA viruses inject DNA rather than RNA. These nuances show the original statement is incorrect.
In summary, option a misstates the universality of RNA vs DNA injection and misattributes the source of reverse transcription, while option b correctly identifies the misattribution and the variability in viral strategies. The core misconception in the statement is the idea that human cells provide reverse transcriptase for this process, which is not generally the case for virally infected cells.

When virions infect human cells, they inject RNA instead of DNA because only the human cells contain the reverse transcriptase to convert it to DNASingle choice

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