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Questions and Answers
What are the three unique characteristics of viruses?
What are the three unique characteristics of viruses?
- Multiply by taking control of host cell's genetic material and regulating the synthesis and assembly of new viruses
- Obliget intracellular parasites of bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals (correct)
- Not cellular in nature; structure is very compact and economical (correct)
- Lack machinery for synthesizing proteins
- Inactive macromolecules outside the host cell and active only inside host cells
- Molecules on virus surface impart high specificity for attachment to host cell
- Nucleic acid can be double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, single-stranded RNA, or double-stranded RNA
- Basic structure consists of protein shell (capsid) surrounding nucleic acid core
- Nucleic acid of the viral genome is either DNA or RNA but not both
- Lack enzymes for most metabolic processes
- Do not independently fulfill the characteristics of life
- Ultramicroscopic size, ranging from 20 nm up to 750 nm in diameter (correct)
What does the term 'ultramicroscopic' mean?
What does the term 'ultramicroscopic' mean?
The term 'ultramicroscopic' means that an electron microscope is necessary to detect minute or to examine their fine structure.
How many bacterial viruses could fit in an average bacterial cell?
How many bacterial viruses could fit in an average bacterial cell?
More than 2,000 bacterial viruses could fit into an average bacterial cell.
How many human cell viruses could fit into a human cell?
How many human cell viruses could fit into a human cell?
Describe the size range of small viruses like parvoviruses and the size range of large viruses like megaviruses.
Describe the size range of small viruses like parvoviruses and the size range of large viruses like megaviruses.
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites of bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites of bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
Viruses independently fulfill the characteristics of life.
Viruses independently fulfill the characteristics of life.
Which of these correctly describes the basic structure of a virus?
Which of these correctly describes the basic structure of a virus?
Which of these molecules can be found in the nucleic acid of a virus?
Which of these molecules can be found in the nucleic acid of a virus?
What characteristic of a virus allows it to be highly specific for attachment to a host cell?
What characteristic of a virus allows it to be highly specific for attachment to a host cell?
How do viruses multiply?
How do viruses multiply?
Viruses have their own enzymes for most metabolic processes.
Viruses have their own enzymes for most metabolic processes.
Viruses have machinery for synthesizing proteins.
Viruses have machinery for synthesizing proteins.
What does the term 'virome' refer to?
What does the term 'virome' refer to?
What is the argument regarding the classification of viruses as either active or inactive, rather than alive or dead?
What is the argument regarding the classification of viruses as either active or inactive, rather than alive or dead?
Why are viruses considered obligate intracellular parasites?
Why are viruses considered obligate intracellular parasites?
In the realm of the ultramicroscopic, which of these structures is the smallest?
In the realm of the ultramicroscopic, which of these structures is the smallest?
Which of the following statements correctly describes the unique features of giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses?
Which of the following statements correctly describes the unique features of giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses?
Why are giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses considered a recent phenomenon?
Why are giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses considered a recent phenomenon?
Giant viruses are not considered parasites as they are larger than their host cells
Giant viruses are not considered parasites as they are larger than their host cells
Where are giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses often found?
Where are giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses often found?
What is the primary characteristic that differentiates giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses from typical viruses?
What is the primary characteristic that differentiates giant viruses, pandoraviruses, megaviruses, and pithoviruses from typical viruses?
What type of questions do giant viruses raise about our understanding of life?
What type of questions do giant viruses raise about our understanding of life?
Flashcards
Filterable agent
Filterable agent
A submicroscopic particle that can pass through filters designed to trap bacteria, yet still be infectious.
Virus discovery milestone
Virus discovery milestone
Finding that infectious material, small enough to pass through bacteria-trapping filters, proved to be infectious, leading to their submicroscopic nature.
Obligate intracellular parasite
Obligate intracellular parasite
A virus that requires a host cell for reproduction; it cannot reproduce outside a living cell.
Viral structure
Viral structure
A virus's basic structure consists of a protein shell (capsid) encompassing the nucleic acid.
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Viral Nucleic Acid
Viral Nucleic Acid
The genetic material of a virus, either DNA or RNA, but not both.
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Virus size range
Virus size range
Viruses range in size from 20nm to 750nm (diameter).
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Capsids
Capsids
Protein shells that encase the viral nucleic acid.
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Nucleocapsid
Nucleocapsid
The capsid along with the enclosed viral nucleic acid.
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Viral Envelopes
Viral Envelopes
Outer, lipid-containing membranes sometimes found in some viruses.
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Viral Spikes
Viral Spikes
Protein protrusions from the viral envelope that aid in attachment to host cells.
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Overview of Viruses
- Viruses were discovered through experiments with bacterial and plant viruses
- Viruses are far more numerous than cells on Earth
- Viruses interact with host genetic material and can carry genes between cells, impacting evolution
- Viruses are different from their host cells in size, structure, behavior, and physiology
- Viruses are best described as obligate intracellular parasites
- They are not considered living things, but infectious particles
- Viruses can be active or inactive
- Virus size ranges from 20 nm to 750 nm
General Structure of Viruses
- Viruses are ultramicroscopic, requiring electron microscopes for observation
- They are much smaller than their host cells
- Some types of viral sizes (e.g., parvoviruses- 20nm to megaviruses/pithoviruses - 750nm)
- Some viruses (e.g., cylindrical viruses) are relatively long and narrow
- Different viral shapes and sizes exist
- Super-sized viruses (400 µm - 1,500 µm across) have been recently discovered
- These super-sized viruses might be similar to bacteria in their size, but not in structure
- Many super-sized viruses have been found to infect amoebas
- Super-sized viruses lack cellular structures and ribosomes
- Super-sized viruses replicate in the host cytoplasm
- Super-sized viruses might be different from other viruses because their proteins have characteristics unlike other known viruses
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