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Which retroviral gene encodes reverse transcriptase?

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Diagram illustrating the process of retrovirus infection and reverse transcription, showing a retrovirus entering a host cell, releasing viral RNA, reverse transcriptase converting RNA to DNA, integration into the host genome, transcription of new viral RNA, assembly of new virions, and budding from the cell. — Reverse transcriptase After a retrovirus infects a cell, an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase converts viral RNA into proviral DNA in the cytoplasm. Proviral DNA then enters the nucleus, where it is incorporated into the host cell's DNA.

In retroviruses, the reverse transcriptase enzyme is encoded by the polymerase gene, commonly referred to as the pol gene.1

The retroviral genome typically consists of three primary genes: the group-specific antigen gene (gag), the polymerase gene (pol), and the envelope gene (env). The pol gene is responsible for encoding three essential enzymes—protease, reverse transcriptase, and integrase—which are required to catalyze the various steps of a retroviral infection.1