Unit 1 Virus Research Paper
Viruses:
A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. A virus is a small parasite that cannot reproduce by itself. Once it infects a susceptible cell, however, a virus can direct the cell to produce many more viruses. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, such as animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Genetic materials of viruses:
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, which is 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 …show more content…
The best current estimate is that there are a whopping 1031 virus particles in the biosphere. For every human on the planet there are nearly Avogadro’s number worth of viruses. This corresponds to roughly 108 viruses to match every cell in our bodies. However, because of their extremely small size, the mass tied up in these viruses is only approximately 5% of the prokaryotic biomass. The assertion about the total number of viruses is supported by measurements using both electron and fluorescence …show more content…
This is a virus that has its capsid shaped into the shape of a spring, taking the space of a cylinder or rod-shaped structure. This type of shape has a central cavity that encloses its nucleic acid. Some of these viruses are short, while others are very long. Many allow for a lot of flexibility or a lot rigidity depending on how the capsomeres are arranged. Another type of viral shape for transporting viral nucleic acids is called icosahedral. An icosahedral virus is a virus consisting of identical subunits that has 20 equilateral triangular faces which is arranged in a symmetrical fashion. A special type of icosahedral shape, called a prolate, is a variant of the icosahedral viral shape and is found in bacteriophages. A lot of viruses are either helical or icosahedral in shape. Many animal viruses, which include those that infect humans, are icosahedral in shape. The icosahedral shape has been shown to be the most optimal way of forming a viral capsid for numerous reasons, but namely due to the fact that it provides the virus with a very stable shape with a lot of room inside for the storage for the nucleic
A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. A virus is a small parasite that cannot reproduce by itself. Once it infects a susceptible cell, however, a virus can direct the cell to produce many more viruses. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, such as animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Genetic materials of viruses:
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, which is 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 …show more content…
The best current estimate is that there are a whopping 1031 virus particles in the biosphere. For every human on the planet there are nearly Avogadro’s number worth of viruses. This corresponds to roughly 108 viruses to match every cell in our bodies. However, because of their extremely small size, the mass tied up in these viruses is only approximately 5% of the prokaryotic biomass. The assertion about the total number of viruses is supported by measurements using both electron and fluorescence …show more content…
This is a virus that has its capsid shaped into the shape of a spring, taking the space of a cylinder or rod-shaped structure. This type of shape has a central cavity that encloses its nucleic acid. Some of these viruses are short, while others are very long. Many allow for a lot of flexibility or a lot rigidity depending on how the capsomeres are arranged. Another type of viral shape for transporting viral nucleic acids is called icosahedral. An icosahedral virus is a virus consisting of identical subunits that has 20 equilateral triangular faces which is arranged in a symmetrical fashion. A special type of icosahedral shape, called a prolate, is a variant of the icosahedral viral shape and is found in bacteriophages. A lot of viruses are either helical or icosahedral in shape. Many animal viruses, which include those that infect humans, are icosahedral in shape. The icosahedral shape has been shown to be the most optimal way of forming a viral capsid for numerous reasons, but namely due to the fact that it provides the virus with a very stable shape with a lot of room inside for the storage for the nucleic