Viruses

• viruses are acellular
• viruses are not cells
• are viruses cells?

  no
• what are viruses ?

  nucleic acids surrounded by proteins
• are viruses alive?

  no
• what are viruses smaller than?

  bacteria
• give one difference between viruses and bacteria?

  unlike bacteria, viruses have no plasma membrane, no ribosomes, no cytoplasms
• what do all viruses do?

  Invade and reproduce inside the cells of other organisms (host cells)
• what do viruses contain a core of ?

  a core of genetic material- either DNA or RNA
• what is the capsid?

  the protein coat around the core
• what stick out from the edge of the capside?

  Attachment proteins
• what do attachment proteins do?

  they let the virus cling on to a suitable host cell