retrovirus

American  

[re-truh-vahy-ruhs, re-truh-vahy-] / ˌrɛ trəˈvaɪ rəs, ˈrɛ trəˌvaɪ- /

noun

retroviruses plural

1. any of a family of single-stranded RNA viruses having a helical envelope and containing an enzyme that allows for a reversal of genetic transcription, from RNA to DNA rather than the usual DNA to RNA, the newly transcribed viral DNA being incorporated into the host cell's DNA strand for the production of new RNA retroviruses: the family includes the AIDS virus and certain oncogene-carrying viruses implicated in various cancers.

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retrovirus British  

/ ˈrɛtrəʊˌvaɪrəs /

noun

1. any of several viruses whose genetic specification is encoded in RNA rather than DNA and that are able to reverse the normal flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA by transcribing RNA into DNA: many retroviruses are known to cause cancer in animals

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retrovirus Scientific  

/ rĕt′rō-vī′rəs /

1. Any of a group of RNA viruses whose RNA is used as a template inside a host cell for the formation of DNA by means of the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The DNA thus formed is inserted into the host cell's genome. Most retroviruses can cause cancer. Retroviruses also include HIV.

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retrovirus Cultural  

1. A virus, such as HIV, whose RNA codes for DNA, which is then inserted into some part of the host's DNA. This virus comes with its own special enzyme, called reverse transcriptase, which facilitates this insertion.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retroviral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retroviruses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of retrovirus

First recorded in 1975–80; retro- + virus

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrovirus retroviruses

This is only the second example from the Australo-Papuan region, after KoRV, of a retrovirus that has colonised a genome while retaining a functional viral life cycle.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

And that’s why an infection with a retrovirus like HIV is forever—because you can't get rid of it.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 27, 2023

In its former life as a retrovirus, Syncytin could fuse with cell membranes to enter cells; its modern form allows the placenta to form during fetal development by fusing cells together.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 27, 2022

HIV is a retrovirus that does not go directly on a killing spree when it enters a cell.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2022

By far, the most successful use of antivirals has been in the treatment of the retrovirus HIV, which causes a disease that, if untreated, is usually fatal within 10–12 years after infection.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Reverse transcriptase is also used by a unique family of viruses, known as retroviruses, to replicate themselves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025

The 30 distinct families of endogenous retroviruses, as that ancient viral DNA is called, in humans each represents a distinct process of colonization.

From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2025

The company also inactivated retroviruses that pigs carry and could be harmful to humans.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2024

"If we didn't have retroviruses sticking their sequences into the vertebrate genome, then myelination wouldn't have happened, and without myelination, the whole diversity of vertebrates as we know it would never have happened."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

To convert RNA into DNA, retroviruses contain genes that encode the virus-specific enzyme reverse transcriptase that transcribes an RNA template to DNA.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013