A common polyhedral capsid shape of viruses is a _.
Correct answer: C. Icosahedron
- A. Pentagon
- B. Cube
- C. Icosahedron
- D. Pyramid
Explanation
Polyhedral viruses consist of nucleic acid surrounded by a polyhedral (many-sided) shell or capsid, usually in the form of an icosahedron.Option A,B and D are wrong because virus capsids predominantly come in two shapes: helical and icosahedral. The helix (plural: helices) is a spiral shape that curves cylindrically around an axis. It is also a common biological structure: many proteins have sections that have a helical shape, and DNA is a double-helix of nucleotides.
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About Viruses
Viruses are acellular infectious particles made of genetic material enclosed by a protein capsid, sometimes with a lipid envelope. Their replication depends on a host cell and may follow lytic or lysogenic cycles, so viral structure and reproduction differ fundamentally from those of cellular organisms such as bacteria.
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