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In this assignment, you will use your knowledge to contrast viruses and cells. You will also describe the lytic and lysogenic cycles used by viruses to reproduce.
Contrast the structures of a virus and cell.
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Here are the main structural contrasts between a virus and a cell:
- Basic status
- Virus: acellular particle (virion), not a cell.
- Cell: living, membrane-bound unit of life (prokaryote or eukaryote).
- Size
- Virus: very small, typically 20–300 nm (some giant viruses up to ~500–1000 nm).
- Cell: much larger — bacteria ~0.2–5 µm; eukaryotic cells ~10–100 µm.
- Outer boundary
- Virus: usually a protein coat (capsid). Some viruses also have a lipid envelope derived from the host membrane with viral glycoproteins.
- Cell: plasma (cytoplasmic) membrane in all cells; many cells also have a rigid cell wall (peptidoglycan in bacteria, cellulose in plants, chitin in fungi).
- Internal contents
- Virus: genetic material (DNA or RNA, single- or double-stranded, linear/circular, sometimes segmented) plus structural proteins; may package a few enzymes (e.g., polymerase, reverse transcriptase) needed immediately after infection.
- Cell: cytoplasm containing ribosomes, enzymes, metabolites, and (in eukaryotes) membrane-bound organelles (nucleus, mitochondria, ER, etc.). Genomic DNA is organized into chromosomes; prokaryotes have a nucleoid and often plasmids.
- Genetic material
- Virus: can be DNA or RNA; single- or double-stranded; small genomes (a few kb to several hundred kb).
- Cell: double-stranded DNA genomes (except some organellar exceptions); much larger and organized into chromatin (eukaryotes) or circular chromosomes (many prokaryotes).
- Protein synthesis and metabolism
- Virus: no ribosomes, no metabolic machinery — cannot synthesize proteins or produce energy independently; relies on host cell machinery.
- Cell: contains ribosomes and full metabolic pathways to synthesize proteins, produce ATP, replicate DNA, etc.
- Structural complexity & symmetry
- Virus: capsids often show simple geometric symmetry (icosahedral, helical, or complex). Some bacteriophages have complex tails and baseplates.
- Cell: irregular, variable internal architecture with cytoskeleton and compartmentalization (in eukaryotes).
- Replication machinery
- Virus: typically does not carry complete replication machinery; may carry polymerases only if host lacks compatible enzymes (e.g., RNA viruses, retroviruses).
- Cell: contains all enzymes required for DNA replication, transcription, translation and cell division.
- Examples illustrating differences
- Virus: influenza virus — enveloped, segmented negative-sense RNA inside a helical capsid with surface glycoproteins.
- Cell: Escherichia coli — prokaryotic cell with plasma membrane, cell wall, ribosomes, circular chromosome, metabolic enzymes.
Key takeaway: cells are self-contained living units with membranes, metabolism, ribosomes and large DNA genomes; viruses are much smaller acellular particles built around nucleic acid and a protein coat (sometimes an envelope) that lack independent metabolic or translational machinery and must infect cells to reproduce.
- Basic status
- Virus: acellular particle (virion), not a cell.
- Cell: living, membrane-bound unit of life (prokaryote or eukaryote).
- Size
- Virus: very small, typically 20–300 nm (some giant viruses up to ~500–1000 nm).
- Cell: much larger — bacteria ~0.2–5 µm; eukaryotic cells ~10–100 µm.
- Outer boundary
- Virus: usually a protein coat (capsid). Some viruses also have a lipid envelope derived from the host membrane with viral glycoproteins.
- Cell: plasma (cytoplasmic) membrane in all cells; many cells also have a rigid cell wall (peptidoglycan in bacteria, cellulose in plants, chitin in fungi).
- Internal contents
- Virus: genetic material (DNA or RNA, single- or double-stranded, linear/circular, sometimes segmented) plus structural proteins; may package a few enzymes (e.g., polymerase, reverse transcriptase) needed immediately after infection.
- Cell: cytoplasm containing ribosomes, enzymes, metabolites, and (in eukaryotes) membrane-bound organelles (nucleus, mitochondria, ER, etc.). Genomic DNA is organized into chromosomes; prokaryotes have a nucleoid and often plasmids.
- Genetic material
- Virus: can be DNA or RNA; single- or double-stranded; small genomes (a few kb to several hundred kb).
- Cell: double-stranded DNA genomes (except some organellar exceptions); much larger and organized into chromatin (eukaryotes) or circular chromosomes (many prokaryotes).
- Protein synthesis and metabolism
- Virus: no ribosomes, no metabolic machinery — cannot synthesize proteins or produce energy independently; relies on host cell machinery.
- Cell: contains ribosomes and full metabolic pathways to synthesize proteins, produce ATP, replicate DNA, etc.
- Structural complexity & symmetry
- Virus: capsids often show simple geometric symmetry (icosahedral, helical, or complex). Some bacteriophages have complex tails and baseplates.
- Cell: irregular, variable internal architecture with cytoskeleton and compartmentalization (in eukaryotes).
- Replication machinery
- Virus: typically does not carry complete replication machinery; may carry polymerases only if host lacks compatible enzymes (e.g., RNA viruses, retroviruses).
- Cell: contains all enzymes required for DNA replication, transcription, translation and cell division.
- Examples illustrating differences
- Virus: influenza virus — enveloped, segmented negative-sense RNA inside a helical capsid with surface glycoproteins.
- Cell: Escherichia coli — prokaryotic cell with plasma membrane, cell wall, ribosomes, circular chromosome, metabolic enzymes.
Key takeaway: cells are self-contained living units with membranes, metabolism, ribosomes and large DNA genomes; viruses are much smaller acellular particles built around nucleic acid and a protein coat (sometimes an envelope) that lack independent metabolic or translational machinery and must infect cells to reproduce.
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