The RNA- and DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activities of two point mutants of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase lacking ribonuclease H activity have been compared to the wild-type enzyme activities using substrates consisting of an oligodeoxynucleotide primer hybridized to either a RNA or a DNA template. The RNase H phenotype had a negligible effect on the steady-state kinetics and processivity of reverse transcription of a homopolymer template-primer [poly(A).oligo(dT)]. However, analysis of the distribution of DNA products indicated that the ability of the mutants to reverse-transcribe a specifically primed 345-nucleotide heteropolymeric RNA template derived from the gag region of HIV-1 was impaired relative to the wild-type enzyme. Although the wild-type and mutant enzymes shared the same pause sites of synthesis along the RNA template, certain prematurely terminated nascent primer chains were poorly extended by the mutant enzymes and hence accumulated, suggesting that a catalytically functional RNase domain facilitated reinitiation of DNA synthesis at specific pause sites along a heteropolymer template. In contrast, the processivity and product distribution of DNA synthesis directed by a heteropolymer gag DNA template of the same nucleotide sequence were not significantly influenced by the RNase H phenotype of the mutants.