Question

Describe the characteristics of viruses​

Answer 1

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⚫They have some characteristics of living organisms.

⚫They contain nucleic acids and proteins.

⚫Inside living cells, viruses can reproduce.

⚫They show the characteristics of non-living organisms, when they are present outside the living organisms.

⚫They do not possess any cellular machinery of their own.

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Answer 2

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♠ DEFINITION OF VIRUS

♥ It is an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host.

♠ GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

♥They are non-cellular and very simple in structure, consisting mainly of a nucleic acid surrounded by a protein envelope called capsid. Therefore, a unit of virus is referred to as ‘a virus particle’ rather than ‘a virus cell’.

♥ They are devoid of the sophisticated enzymatic and biosynthetic machinery essential for independent activities of cellular life. 

♥ They are ultra-microscopic and can only be visualized under electron microscope.

♥ They do not increase in size.

♥ They can pass through filters, through which bacteria cannot pass.

♥All viruses have a capsid or head region that contains its genetic material. The capsid is made of proteins and glycoproteins.

♥ Capsid contruction varies greatly among viruses, with most being specialized for a particular virus's host organism.

♥ Some viruses, mostly of the type infecting animals, have a membranous envelope surrounding their capsid.This allows viruses to penetrate host cells through membrane fusion.

♥The virus's genetical material rests inside the capsid; that material can be either DNA, RNA, or even in some cases a limited number of enzymes.