Virus - Tobacco Mosic Virus

Description:

The Scientific name of tobacco mosaic virus is Proto-virus tabacci. They were discovered by Iwanowski in 1892, and isolated in crystallized form by Stanley in 1935.

Structure

• It is long, cylindrical, rod shaped, helical ribovirus.
• The nucleic acid is a single stranded RNA, helically coiled forming a central core.
• It contains about 6300 nucleotides.
• The protein coat (capsid) consists of helically arranged subunits (capsomeres).
• There are about 16.5 subunits per turn of the helix.
• Protein coat can be separated from RNA and this naked RNA is still capable of infection and can produce protein for its capsomeres. This shows genetic information for complete virus particle is stored in its RNA.