Question

The genetic material of TMV is
A. RNA
B. DNA
C. DNA and RNA
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Viruses are microscopic pathogens that have a protein coat that encapsulate the genetic material. Viruses can have either, single-stranded RNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or double-stranded DNA. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Tobamovirus genus, which is known to infect a wide variety of plants, especially the tobacco plant and other members of the Solanaceae family.

Complete answer:
Viruses are organisms that are not considered to be living unless they infect a host. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and do not have complex organization structures. A virus has a head, neck, and tail, and leg region. The head is a protein coat with the genetic material inside.

The TMV was the first pathogen identified as a virus. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Tobamovirus genus, which is known to infect a wide variety of plants, especially the tobacco plant and other members of the Solanaceae family. This virus causes an infection that has a characteristic mosaic-like molting pattern. This mosaic-like pattern is also formed by the discoloration of the leaves and hence it acquires its name the Tobacco mosaic virus. Like other plant viruses, TMV has a very wide range of plant hosts which it can infect and has different symptoms depending on the host. The tobacco mosaic virus has been known to cause a production loss for flue-cured tobacco.

Therefore, the correct option is A.

Note: Viruses can be distinguished based on the type of genetic material they possess. It can be either a single-stranded RNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, and double-stranded DNA. Some viruses like retroviruses such as HIV have specific capabilities to transform their genetic material from RNA to DNA via the reverse transcriptase enzyme. The virus lacks all capabilities to divide on its own and heavily depends on the enzymes of the host to replicate and divide.