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Question

What are the 3 types of capsids?


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Solution

Capsids:

  1. Capsid is the outer covering of the virus.
  2. It is made of various subunits which can be proteins called as protomeres.
  3. The 3 dimensional units that are observed are called capsomeres.

The three types of capsids are as follow:

  1. Helical:
  • Helical capsids are made up of only type of protein subunits.
  • They get stacked around each other on a axis to form a helical structure.
  • This. type of arrangement results into a filamentous structure of the virus.
  • For example tobacco mosaic virus.

2. Icosahedral:

  • This type of virus arranges its subunit in the form of an icosahedron with 120 sides.
  • For example poliovirus, rhinovirus.

3. Prolate:

  • Prolate is just an elongated icosahedron.
  • It is also referred to as the bacilliform or tubuliform viruses.


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