Does reverse transcriptase have a function in healthy humans?
Yes, reverse transcriptases (RTs) have a some importance in ‘healthy’ humans. All humans express a RT called ‘telomerase’, which is a ribonucleoprotein that helps to protect our chromosomes from wear and tear. There are known inhibitors of human telomerase. I’m not sure that the effects of such inhibitors on humans has been studied to much degree. However, telomerase inhibitors are known to destroy replicating cells in vitro, and for this reason, some scientists have suggested that they might be useful in cancer therapy. In addition to telomerase, we also have RTs that play a role in retrotransposon relocation. Retrotransposons, or ‘jumping genes’, are tracts of DNA that can literally move themselves around the human genome to new (and quite random) locations. The ability of these retrotransposons to reinsert themselves into the genome requires the work of RTs, which are usually encoded by the transposons themselves (although in some cases, viral RTs can do the job). Because of the ran
