Retroviral recombination: what drives the switch?
The high rate of recombination in retroviruses is due to the frequent template switching that occurs during reverse transcription. Although the mechanism that leads to this switch is still a matter of debate, there is increasing evidence that specific RNA structures are involved. And the implications might go beyond retroviral genetic variability.
Department of Molecular Biology, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris 15, France. matteo@pasteur.fr
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D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic