Read the given statements that describe certain infectious particle.
(i) It was discovered by T.O. diener and was found to be smaller than viruses.
(ii) It cause potato spindle tuber disease.
(iii) It is a free RNA particle which lacks the protein material.
(iv) It has low molecular weight RNA as genetic material.
Which of the following is referred to here?
Text Solution
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The statements provided describe a viroid, an infectious agent discovered by T.O. Diener in 1971. Viroids are distinct from other pathogens due to the following characteristics:
Size: They are significantly smaller than viruses.
Disease: They are known to cause specific plant diseases, most notably potato spindle tuber disease.
Structure: They consist of free RNA and entirely lack a protein coat (capsid), which is why they are named "viroids".
Genetic Material: Their genetic material is a short strand of low molecular weight, circular, single-stranded RNA.
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