How do viruses differ from living cells in terms of their ability to carry out metabolic processes?
Viruses lack the cellular machinery for metabolism and cannot carry out metabolic processes on their own; they must hijack a host cell's machinery to replicate.
What is the lysogenic cycle, and how does it differ from the lytic cycle?
In the lysogenic cycle, the viral genome integrates into the host's DNA and replicates with it without killing the host, whereas the lytic cycle results in host cell lysis and death.
What is a retrovirus, and what unique enzyme does it use during infection?
A retrovirus is an RNA virus that uses the enzyme reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA genome into DNA, which is then integrated into the host genome.
What are viroids, and what organisms do they primarily infect?
Viroids are small, circular, single-stranded RNA molecules that primarily infect plants, disrupting their growth.
How do restriction enzymes help bacteria defend against viral infection?
Restriction enzymes in bacteria cut and degrade foreign viral DNA, providing a defense mechanism against bacteriophage infection.
How do viruses differ from living cells in their ability to carry out metabolic processes?
Viruses lack the cellular machinery for metabolism and cannot carry out metabolic processes on their own; they must hijack a host cell's machinery to replicate.
What is the lysogenic cycle, and how does it differ from the lytic cycle?
In the lysogenic cycle, the viral genome integrates into the host's DNA and replicates with it without killing the host, whereas the lytic cycle results in host cell lysis and death.
What is a retrovirus, and what unique enzyme does it use during infection?
A retrovirus is an RNA virus that uses the enzyme reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA genome into DNA, which is then integrated into the host genome.
What are viroids, and what organisms do they primarily infect?
Viroids are small, circular, single-stranded RNA molecules that primarily infect plants, disrupting their growth.
How do restriction enzymes help bacteria defend against viral infection?
Restriction enzymes in bacteria cut and degrade foreign viral DNA, providing a defense mechanism against bacteriophage infection.