A number of antiviral drugs act by preventing viral DNA synthesis. These drugs are typically chemically similar to nucleotides with a modification. For example, the drug may contain all relevant components of a nucleotide, including a proper purine or pyrimidine base, but lack the 3' OH group. How would this modification allow this drug to prevent viral DNA synthesis

The DNA polymerase of the host cell can only add new nucleotides to the 3’ hydroxyl end of the growing DNA strand. When one of these nucleotide analogs which lack a 3’ hydroxyl end is added to the viral DNA strand being copied, the DNA polymerase can no longer continue transcription. These drugs effectively prevent DNA transcription.

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shivjimishraVT shivjimishraVT · Answer 2 · 2022-04-12T13:57:24+02:00

This modification allows the drug to prevent viral DNA synthesis by different mechanisms as an enzyme DNA polymerase follows.

What do you mean by DNA synthesis?

DNA synthesis may be defined as the biological process by which a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule is created.

The enzyme DNA polymerase adds some of the nucleotide bases to the strand that contains 3'-OH at the end. But when the end part of the strand lacks the 3' OH group, it inhibits the process of DNA transcription.

Therefore, this modification allows the drug to prevent viral DNA synthesis by different mechanisms as an enzyme DNA polymerase follows.

To learn more about Viral DNA synthesis, refer to the link:

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