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RNA viruses generally have very high mutation rates compared to DNA viruses, [8] because viral RNA polymerases lack the proofreading ability of DNA polymerases. [9] The genetic diversity of RNA viruses is one reason why it is difficult to make effective vaccines against them. [ 10 ]
It is the first step of viral replication. Some viruses attach to the cell membrane of the host cell and inject its DNA or RNA into the host to initiate infection. Attachment to a host cell is often achieved by a virus attachment protein that extends from the protein shell (), of a virus.
Some of these enzymes, called DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase, make new copies of DNA and RNA. A virus's polymerase enzymes are often much more efficient at making DNA and RNA than the equivalent enzymes of the host cells, [31] but viral RNA polymerase enzymes are error-prone, causing RNA viruses to mutate and form new strains. [32]
Phylogeny of Orthornavirae RNA-dependent polymerase. The five colored branches are the five phyla of Orthornavirae.. Both kingdoms in Riboviria show a relation to the reverse transcriptases of group II introns that encode RTs and retrotransposons, which are self-replicating DNA sequences, the latter of which self-replicate via reverse transcription and integrate themselves into other parts of ...
All living cells contain both DNA and RNA (except some cells such as mature red blood cells), while viruses contain either DNA or RNA, but usually not both. [15] The basic component of biological nucleic acids is the nucleotide, each of which contains a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nucleobase. [16]
3D pol, an RNA dependent RNA polymerase whose function is to make multiple copies of the viral RNA genome; 2A pro and 3C pro /3CD pro, proteases which cleave the viral polypeptide; VPg (3B), a small protein that binds viral RNA and is necessary for synthesis of viral positive and negative strand RNA
The type of nucleic acid is irrelevant to the shape of the genome. Among RNA viruses and certain DNA viruses, the genome is often divided into separate parts, in which case it is called segmented. For RNA viruses, each segment often codes for only one protein and they are usually found together in one capsid.
In the cytoplasm, ribosomal RNA and protein combine to form a nucleoprotein called a ribosome. The ribosome binds mRNA and carries out protein synthesis. Several ribosomes may be attached to a single mRNA at any time. [27] Nearly all the RNA found in a typical eukaryotic cell is rRNA. Transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) is found in many bacteria and ...