The process of constructing a messenger
RNA molecule using a
DNA molecule as a
template with the resulting transfer of genetic information to the messenger
RNA. As related to HIV: The process by which the provirus produces new viruses.
RNA copies called messenger
RNA must be made that can be read by the
host cell's protein-making machinery. Transcription is facilitated by cellular enzymes, including
RNA polymerase II. The viral genes may partly
control this process:
tat, for example, encodes a protein that accelerates the transcription process by binding to a section of the newly made viral
RNA. See also
Integration; Messenger
RNA;
tat;
Template.