I’m currently writing this test during the COVID-19 outbreak…
I’m currently writing this test during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Like all virus in the coronavirus family of viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus; it stores it’s genetic information as DNA instead of RNA. To complete it’s life cycle, the virus needs a method of copying it’s RNA genome. For this, it requires an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Cellular organisms (all prokaryotes and eukaryotes) have DNA dependent RNA polymerases. Because human cells do not have RNA-dependent RNA polymerases, this presents a potential target for drug therapies. A compound remdesivir is a nucleotide analog and targets RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Specifically it becomes incorporated into the growing strand of RNA, but prevents elongation. As of the writing of this question, remdesivir is being investigated as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Early studies have shown a 30% reduction in recovery time for those patients treated with Remdesivir versus placebo. Further studies are of course necessary prior to approval to further demonstrate safety and efficacy, I don’t actually have a question here, but knew that I had your attention and I wanted to use the opportunity to show you how abstract concepts like RNA synthesis related to the world around you. For credit choose A from the list of answers