? Viroid | ||||
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| Virus classification | ||||
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| Families | ||||
| Pospiviroidae Avsunviroidae |
Viroids are infectious agents that consist of single-stranded RNA. They are much smaller and simpler than viruses and lack the Protein cover that is typical for viruses. Viroids use higher plants (such as potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers) to reproduce, inserting themselves into the nucleus of a plant cell to be replicated there. Viroids are usually transmitted by seed or Pollen. Infected plants can show distorted growth. The first viroid to be identified was the Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV). Some 33 species have been identified.
Primary and secondary structure of the PSTV viroid:
1 CGGAACUAAA CUCGUGGUUC CUGUGGUUCA CACCUGACCU CCUGAGCAGA AAAGAAAAAA
61 GAAGGCGGCU CGGAGGAGCG CUUCAGGGAU CCCCGGGGAA ACCUGGAGCG AACUGGCAAA
121 AAAGGACGGU GGGGAGUGCC CAGCGGCCGA CAGGAGUAAU UCCCGCCGAA ACAGGGUUUU
181 CACCCUUCCU UUCUUCGGGU GUCCUUCCUC GCGCCCGCAG GACCACCCCU CGCCCCCUUU
241 GCGCUGUCGC UUCGGCUACU ACCCGGUGGA AACAACUGAA GCUCCCGAGA ACCGCUUUUU
301 CUCUAUCUUA CUUGCUUCGG GGCGAGGGUG UUUAGCCCUU GGAACCGCAG UUGGUUCCU
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