Reverse transcription begins when the viral particle enters the cytoplasm of a target cell. The viral RNA genome enters the cytoplasm as part of a nucleoprotein complex that has not been well characterized. The process of reverse transcription generates, in the cytoplasm, a linear DNA duplex via an intricate series of steps. This DNA is colinear with its RNA template, but it contains terminal duplications known as the long terminal repeats (LTRs) that are not present in viral RNA
