Question

the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) uses rna, rather than dna, to encode genetic information. during infection, however, hiv uses an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase to generate double - stranded dna. generally speaking, how would the enzyme generate a double strand of dna from a single strand of rna?
multiple choice
reverse transcriptase first catalyzes the synthesis of a rna copy from the viral dna, and then catalyzes the synthesis of a second strand of dna complementary to the first one.
reverse transcriptase first catalyzes the synthesis of a dna copy from the viral rna, and then catalyzes the synthesis of a second strand of dna complementary to the first one.
reverse transcriptase first catalyzes the synthesis of a dna copy from the viral rna, and then catalyzes the synthesis of a second strand of dna from the viral rna.

Explanation:

Reverse - transcriptase is an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of DNA from RNA. First, it makes a DNA copy (complementary DNA or cDNA) from the viral RNA. Then, it synthesizes a second DNA strand that is complementary to the first DNA strand, resulting in double - stranded DNA.

Answer:

Reverse transcriptase first catalyzes the synthesis of a DNA copy from the viral RNA, and then catalyzes the synthesis of a second strand of DNA complementary to the first one.