(Solved) Viral ssDNA and dsRNA evolutionary advantages

connorp

wrote...

Go to Answer

Donated

Posts: 283

Rep:

10 years ago

Viral ssDNA and dsRNA evolutionary advantages

What were the evolutionary advantages of certain virus families having either ssDNA or dsRNA as the primary genetic material over the more common dsDNA and ssRNA?

Read 865 times

8 Replies

Report

Replies

mikael

wrote...

Donated

10 years ago

Wait a second, is this a trick question? I thought evolution was based on living things Undecided

That said, can this even be explained using evolution? In addition, don't viruses form spontaneously?

Report

connorp Author

wrote...

Donated

10 years ago Edited: 10 years ago, connorp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_evolution

They still evolve. And I would think so. Organisms and viruses alike both have the goal of reproducing and continuing the life of their "species" if you will. They have to evolve in some way to be able to meet changing environments, as Earth has changed a great deal in the past millions of years. If they don't evolve (or adapt if you like that better), they disappear. And fundamentals of biotic evolution, such as natural selection and mutations, still apply to viruses, even in they aren't technically alive.

But if you don't want me to use "evolutionary," that's fine. Just say the advantages of ssDNA and dsRNA over ssRNA and dsDNA for the viruses that have the two former as their primary genetic material.

Post Merge: 10 years ago

Here's an even better way to put it, since I apparently mis-phrased my question. :sWhat reproductive advantages do viruses of different genetic materials (ssRNA, dsRNA, ssDNA, dsDNA) have over each other and why?

Sorry for the confusion. But still an interesting discussion.

Report

mikael

wrote...

Donated

10 years ago

Right, if you put it that way, you're right. Some viruses, like the flu virus or the cold virus undergo re-assortment and shuffling, leading to changes in the their strain from one season to the next. As a result, they are subject to mutations, the genomes of different viruses can recombine to form novel progeny, the expression of the viral genome can be regulated, and viral gene products can interact. I would say the only advantage, say between an RNA genome a DNA genome is that the RNA genome is more delicate, and therefore can undergo mutation quicker than a DNA virus. This is merely out of speculation, by the way. Therefore, RNA viruses are prone to mutating at a much higher rate than their DNA virus counterparts. RNA viruses do not have 'fidelity of transcription'. Influenza and Rhinoviruses are prime examples. Given that, they have the ability to evade the immune system and cause new 'versions' of the same virus, making life for us just plain miserable.

Report

zoeksyrianos

wrote...

10 years ago

When the virus infects a host cell with its RNA, the RNA can be used to immediately make protein at the host cells ribosomes. DNA from DNA viruses must gain entry into the nucleus, be copied to RNA which must then leave the nucleus and be tranlated to a protein at the ribosomes. Another advantage is that some organisms, such as bacteria, defense mechanisms. In these cases, chemicals called restriction enzymes will destroy foreign DNA.

Report

connorp Author

wrote...

Donated

10 years ago

Ok, thanks. But no idea about between single and double stranded?

Report

Answer accepted by topic starter

mikael

wrote...

Donated

Home Search Q & A Board Gallery Resource Library Blog Dictionary Chat	Quick Links Start a Topic Latest Topics Unanswered Questions Courses Study Tools Browse by Textbook	Social Facebook YouTube Community Stats Who's Online Trending Staff	Help About Us Take the Tour Study Tips Posting Guidelines Terms and Policies Contact Us
Biology Forums - Study Force © 2010-2024 \| Powered by SMF \| SMF © 2015, Simple Machines \| Sitemap Biology-Forums.com is not affiliated with any publisher. Book covers, title and author names appear for reference only.

Viral ssDNA and dsRNA evolutionary advantages

Related Topics