Viruses

Viruses that join right in
Two popular viruses for gene therapy integrate their DNA directly into the
host’s genome. Oncoretroviruses and lentiviruses are retroviruses that transfer
their genes into the host genome; when the retrovirus genes are in place,
they’re replicated right along with all the other host DNA. Retroviruses use
RNA instead of DNA to code their genes; these viruses use a process called
reverse transcription (described in Chapter 10) to convert their RNA into
DNA, which is then inserted into a host cell’s genome.