BIOLOGY 171 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Reverse Transcriptase, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antibody
Document Summary
Viruses are tiny, noncellular particles (or agents) that infect virtually every type of cell known. They are acellular and require a host in order to metabolize or replicate. Most viruses are obligate parasites; but a few are mutualists with their hosts. Viruses are specialized to certain hosts; they are able to recognize the right host by detecting the unique glycoproteins on the cell surface. Virsues are found in all habitats ( ubiquitous ) and are vastly outnumber cellular organisms. Classifications of virsues: via their genome: dna virus, linear (or) circular (or) segmented, double-stranded (or) single-stranded, use of reverse transcriptase enzyme to synthesize dna from an. Rna template: rna virus, linear (or) circular (or) segmented, double-stranded (or) single-stranded, use of reverse transcriptase enzyme to synthesize dna from an. Horizontal gene transfer = transference of genetic material amongst one cell to another (as opposed to vertical gene transfer= parent- offspring)
