Table of Contents
What are the functions of protein coat and nucleic acid of a virus?
The simplest virions consist of two basic components: nucleic acid (single- or double-stranded RNA or DNA) and a protein coat, the capsid, which functions as a shell to protect the viral genome from nucleases and which during infection attaches the virion to specific receptors exposed on the prospective host cell.
What pathogen is surrounded by a protein coat?
Viruses: Introduction. A virus can be simply defined as an obligate intracellular parasite. Each viral particle, or virion, consists of a single nucleic acid, RNA or DNA, encoding the viral genome surrounded by a protein coat, and is capable of replication only within the living cells of bacteria, animals or plants.
What is a nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat?
A virus is a small collection of genetic code, either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone. Viruses must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of themselves. Often, they kill the host cell in the process, and cause damage to the host organism.
What makes up the genetic material of a virus?
Most viruses have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. The nucleic acid may be single- or double-stranded. The entire infectious virus particle, called a virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an outer shell of protein.
How is the nucleic acid of a virus enclosed?
The nucleic acid of a virion is enclosed within a protein coat, or capsid, composed of multiple copies of one protein or a few different proteins, each of which is encoded by a single viral gene. Because of this structure, a virus is able to encode all the information for making a relatively large capsid in a small number of genes.
How many proteins are in a virion virus?
The entire infectious virus particle, called a virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an outer shell of protein. The simplest viruses contain only enough RNA or DNA to encode four proteins. The most complex can encode 100 – 200 proteins.
Which is smaller a bacterium or a virus?
Viruses are made up of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. They are smaller than the smallest bacterium. Viruses consist of nucleic acid (genetic material) surrounded by a capsid (protein coat).