BRAINCAKEDNA Viruses
Viruses are classified mainly by the nucleic acid in their genome. DNA viruses have a genome made of DNA, which in most of them is double-stranded (dsDNA). A few, such as parvoviruses, have single-stranded DNA.
Examples of DNA viruses include:
• bacteriophages such as lambda (λ) phage and T4 phage, which infect E. coli
• herpes simplex virus (cold sores) and varicella zoster virus (chickenpox and shingles)
• adenoviruses (some respiratory infections)
• human papillomavirus (HPV) (warts and some cervical cancers)
• variola virus (smallpox)
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- lytic pathway
- A pattern of viral replication in which the virus replicates immediately after infection and the host cell is destroyed to release new virus particles.
- lysogenic pathway
- A pattern of viral replication in which viral DNA is inserted into the host chromosome as a prophage and copied along with it.
- proofreading
- The correction of errors during nucleic acid synthesis, when an enzyme checks and replaces incorrectly paired bases.
More in Prokaryotic Cells
- Antibiotics
- Alternative Classification of Bacteria
- Viruses
- The Structure of Viruses
- RNA Viruses
- RNA Retroviruses
- Viral Reproduction
- Virus Life Cycle
All 31 lessons in Prokaryotic Cells · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics