Virus

Virus is referred to as an infectious agent of very small size and  configuration that could be multiplied in protoplasm concerning animals and plants. Viruses’ size may vary from 20 nanometres to 250-400 nanometres. Viruses can cause many diseases in the plant and animal’s living cells by making them infectious. A virus is mainly categorised on the basis of several characteristic features. Virus’s  proves to be harmful to injecting its infection in the DNA and RNA. Virus mainly comprises protein coat, nucleic acid. Capsid acts as a protective layer safeguarding viruses from nucleases. 

Virus

Viruses are said to be tiny infectious agents that capture the host cells and thus cause disease in the plants and animal cells. Size of the virus is smaller, which ranges from 20 to 250 nanometres. These include DNA for concealing proteins  which encodes 100-200 proteins. Although those viruses are very harmful, they also have interesting technological potential. Viruses generally appear in two forms: rods and spheres. However, the bacteria, which are infected by the virus, also known as bacteriophages have a sole shape consisting of geometric head and capillaceous tail fibres. The virus constitutes the material, which is genetic and involves an outer protein carapace which is known as a capsid. 

Characteristics of virus 

Viruses are considered as organisms, which are non- cellular and are preserved in a preservative envelope as well as the existence of the spine assist in the virus attachment to the introduced cell. The virus anabolism grows while they reproduce as well as they are surrounded by polypeptide coating which includes nucleic acid comprising DNA. Viruses are considered to remain inactive when they are present outside the introduced cells. Thus it can cause various infections as well as reproduce within the cell by using raw materials and enzymes.

Classification of viruses

A virus can be classified based on nucleic acid as well as it can be classified based on structure. In context, nucleic acid viruses are classified into two types, which are DNA and RNA viruses. DNA viruses are those viruses, which are made up of deoxyribonucleic acid, which is replicated by DNA polymerase. RNA viruses are those, which are made of Ribonucleic acid and replicate as genetic material. Based on the structure, viruses are classified into 4 types which are complex virus, radial symmetry virus, helical symmetry virus and icosahedral symmetry virus. Viruses are also classified based on host ranges, which are Animal virus, Plant Virus, insect Virus and bacteriophages. 

Virus Replication Process

Virus is replicated in two processes which are the lysogenic cycle and lytic cycle. Some of the viruses may reproduce by using these two methods while some might reproduce with one of the methods. In the case of lytic cycle, it is connected to the host nucleus, which inoculates its DNA. Utilising the host’s cellular metabolic rate, the DNA starts replicating and thus forms proteins. After the process, the virus assembles and breaks the cell and further continues spreading to other cells in order to carry on the cycle. Similarly, in the lysogenic cycle, a virus is also attached to the introduced cell which inoculates its DNA. Thus, this DNA gets absorbed in the host and the introduced cells. Each time the introduced cell passes through the replication process, the DNA virus also gets replicated by spreading its natural information throughout the introduction without lysing the infected cells.

Conclusion 

Viruses are microscopic infectious agents, which provide infection in the living cells. It can be concluded that despite the great microscopic variation existing within the bacterial virus, they never possess similar features within their structure. The virus in plants and animals consist of nucleic acids, which are identical in specific components of the virus. It is further concluded that the bacteriophages often possess a characteristic feature, which is tail formation. Thus, it can be said that the virus mechanism might participate in the transmission process of nucleic acid starting from the head to the tail canal.