Describe the structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

Explanation

Tobacco Mosaic Virus was discovered in 1892 by Dimitry Ivanowsky from Tobacco plant. Structure of Tobacco Mosaic Virus :

1. TMV is a rod shaped helical virus measuring about `280 xx 150 mu m` with a molecular weight of `39 xx 10^(6)` Daltons.
2. The virion is made up of two constituents, a protein coat called capsid and a core called nucleic acid.
3. The capsid is made up of approximately 2130 identical protein subunits called capsomeres.
4. The Nucleic acid consists of central single stranded RNA molecule.
5. The genetic information necessary for the formation of a complete TMV particle is contained in its RNA. It has 6,500 nucleotides.