Question

In some viruses, the flow of genetic information is in reverse direction. It was brought to light by

• A. F.H.C. Crick
• B. H.M. Temin and D. Baltimore
• C. Avery, McCarty and Macleod
• D. Erwin Chargaff

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The central dogma of molecular biology states that there is a unidirectional flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA (transcription) and from RNA to proteins (translation). This was proposed by Crick in 1958.

Temin and Baltimore in 1970 discovered the process of reverse transcription. They found that retroviruses perform reverse central dogma that involves reverse transcription and thus, forms DNA from RNA. The synthesis of RNA or transcription then occurs over DNA. RNA is then further translated to form proteins. So, the correct answer is B.