NEET BIOLOGY

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

VIRUSES

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What would happen to a virus if it couldn’t find a host cell to invade?
A
It wouldn’t be able to multiply
B
It wouldn’t be able to travel through the air
C
Its genetic information would wither away
D
It would not be able to exist
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Viruses cannot replicate on their own, but rather depend on their host cell’s protein synthesis pathways to reproduce. This typically occurs by the virus inserting its genetic material in host cells, co-opting the proteins to create viral replicates, until the cell bursts from the high volume of new viral particles.

Detailed explanation-2: -Viruses cannot reproduce outside the host because these organisms do not have the metabolic machinery of their own. Viruses do not have cytoplasm and enzymes required for reproduction. In this regard viruses must approach their respective host for reproductive components.

Detailed explanation-3: -Specifically, they are pieces of genetic material (RNA or DNA) contained in a special coating of proteins called capsids. Viruses cannot replicate unless absorbed by cells in our body. Once a virus is outside the body, its capsid starts to degrade, and the more degraded its capsid is, the less likely it is to survive.

Detailed explanation-4: -Which statement best explains why viruses can only reproduce within a host? Viruses lack the ribosomes necessary to make their own proteins.

There is 1 question to complete.