Pathophysiology Exam 1: Immunodeficiency and Autoimmune Disease Practice Exam

HIV-1 relies on three viral enzymes to replicate and mature. The enzymes are reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease. Reverse transcriptase copies the viral RNA into DNA, providing the template for integration. Integrase then inserts that viral DNA into the host cell’s genome, establishing a provirus that can be transcribed by the host. Protease cleaves the long viral polyproteins into functional proteins, enabling the production of infectious viral particles. The other options reflect general cellular enzymes or non-HIV-specific nucleic acid–processing activities, which don’t capture the essential HIV-1 replication and maturation steps.