AnswersDriveA virion (virus particle) has three main parts:
- Nucleic acid – this is the core of the virus with the DNA or RNA (deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid respectively).
- Protein Coat (capsid) – This is covering over the nucleic acid that protects it.
Just so, what is inside a virus?
A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
What are the three basic structures of viruses?
A capsid plus the enclosed nucleic acid is called a nucleocapsid. Nature has found two basic ways of arranging the multiple capsid protein subunits and the viral genome into a nucleocapsid. The simpler structure is a protein helix with the RNA or DNA protected within.
What are two molecules that viruses contain?
All viruses contain nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA (but not both), and a protein coat, which encases the nucleic acid. Some viruses are also enclosed by an envelope of fat and protein molecules. In its infective form, outside the cell, a virus particle is called a virion.