HPV Is a DNA Virus and Can Be Detected in a Sample

question 68

Multiple Choice

HPV is a DNA virus and can be detected in a sample using PCR. Is it possible to detect an RNA virus using this technique or something similar?

• A) No; there is no known process by which RNA can be copied because the subunits of RNA are amino acids and these cannot be amplified without the use of ribosomes. 
• B) Yes; a variation of PCR is RT-PCR in which an enzyme called reverse transcriptase generates cDNA from mRNA in a sample, and that cDNA is then amplified exponentially.
• C) Yes; Taq polymerase is a unique DNA polymerase that can copy either RNA or DNA, so it doesn't matter what type of virus is present-the enzyme will still detect it in a PCR reaction.
• D) No; PCR can only be carried out on a double-stranded molecule such as DNA, and RNA is a single-stranded molecule. 
• E) There is no answer to this question because nobody has ever tried to amplify RNA; viruses contain both DNA and RNA so it is always possible to detect the DNA component.

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Definitions:

Spectral Data

Information derived from the analysis of a spectrum, used to identify the composition, physical properties, and structure of molecules.

Fragmentations

The breaking of chemical bonds within molecules to produce smaller, often radical or ionic, fragments, typically occurring in mass spectrometric analysis or chemical reactions.

MS

Mass spectrometry, an analytical technique used for measuring the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to identify and quantify molecules in a sample.

NMR

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, a spectroscopic technique that exploits the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei to provide information about the structure, dynamics, reaction state, and chemical environment of molecules.