Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Plants have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose, and fungi one of chitin, so most viruses can get inside these cells only after trauma to the cell wall. [ 6 ] : 70 Nearly all plant viruses (such as tobacco mosaic virus) can also move directly from cell to cell, in the form of single-stranded nucleoprotein complexes, through pores called ...
In comparison, humans have 20,000–25,000. Some viral genes contain the code to make the structural proteins that form the virus particle. Other genes make non-structural proteins found only in the cells the virus infects. [29] [30] All cells, and many viruses, produce proteins that are enzymes that drive chemical reactions
Gamma phage, an example of virus particles (visualised by electron microscopy) Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses.It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, their interaction with host organism physiology and immunity, the diseases they ...
To enter the cells, proteins on the surface of the virus interact with proteins of the cell. Attachment, or adsorption, occurs between the viral particle and the host cell membrane. A hole forms in the cell membrane, then the virus particle or its genetic contents are released into the host cell, where replication of the viral genome may commence.
The virus wraps its delicate nucleic acid with a protein shell known as the capsid, from the Latin capsa, meaning "box," in order to shield it from this hostile environment. Similar to how numerous bricks come together to form a wall, the capsid is made up of one or more distinct protein types that repeatedly repeat to form the whole capsid.
When the virus replicates faster than the immune system can control, it can destroy cells and harm the body, and it can even incite an over-zealous immune reaction that can cause other damage.
Viruses infect all life forms; therefore the bacterial, plant, and animal cells and material in the gut also carry viruses. [6] When viruses cause harm by infecting the cells in the body, a symptomatic disease may develop. Contrary to common belief, harmful viruses may be in the minority, compared to benign viruses in the human body.
One of the densest natural sources is sea water, where up to 900 million virions/mL have been found in microbial mats at the surface, and up to 70% of marine bacteria can be infected. Used as an alternative to antibiotics for over 90 years, phages might offer a potential therapy against multi-drug-resistant bacteria.