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Viroid
Viroids are small single-stranded, circular RNAs that are infectious pathogens. Unlike viruses, they have no protein coating. All known viroids are inhabitants of angiosperms (flowering plants), and most cause diseases, whose respective economic importance to humans varies widely. The first discoveries of viroids in the 1970s triggered the historically third major extension of the biosphere—to include smaller lifelike entities —after the discoveries in 1675 by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (of the "subvisible" microorganisms) and in 1892–1898 by Dmitri Iosifovich Ivanovsky and Martinus Beijerinck (of the "submicroscopic" viruses). The unique properties of viroids have been recognized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, in creating a new order of subviral agents. The first recognized viroid, the pathogenic agent of the potato spindle tuber disease, was discovered, initially molecularly characterized, and named by Theodor Otto Diener, plant pathologist a ...
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Avsunviroidae
The ''Avsunviroidae'' are a family of viroids. There are four species in three genera ('' Avsunviroid'', '' Elaviroid'' and '' Pelamoviroid''). They consist of RNA genomes between 246 and 375 nucleotides in length. They are single-stranded covalent circles and have intramolecular base pairing. All members lack a central conserved region. Replication Replication occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells. Key features of replication include no helper virus required and no proteins are encoded for. Unlike the other family of viroids, '' Pospiviroidae'', ''Avsunviroidae'' are thought to replicate via a symmetrical rolling mechanism. It is thought the positive RNA strand acts as a template to form negative strands with the help of an enzyme thought to be RNA polymerase plus 3 II. The negative RNA strands are then cleaved by ribozyme activity and circularises. A second rolling circle mechanism forms a positive strand which is also cleaved by ribozyme activity and then ligated to beco ...
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Retrozyme
Retrozymes are a family of retrotransposons first discovered in the genomes of plants but now also known in genomes of animals. Retrozymes contain a hammerhead ribozyme (HHR) in their sequences (and so the name ''retrozyme'' is a combination of ''retrotransposon'' and ''hammerhead ribozyme''), although they do not possess any coding regions. Retrozymes are nonautonomous retroelements, and so borrow proteins from other elements to move into new regions of a genome. Retrozymes are actively transcribed into covalently closed circular RNAs (circRNAs or cccRNAs) and are detected in both polarities, which may indicate the use of rolling circle replication in their lifecycle. The genomic structure of a retrozyme in plants involves a central non-coding region that may stretch about 300–600nt flanked by long terminal repeats about 300–400nt containing the HHR motif. They also have two sequences (a primer binding site (PBS) complementary to the tRNA-Met sequence and a poly-purine tract (P ...
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Subviral Agents
Virus classification is the process of naming viruses and placing them into a taxonomic system similar to the classification systems used for cellular organisms. Viruses are classified by phenotypic characteristics, such as morphology, nucleic acid type, mode of replication, host organisms, and the type of disease they cause. The formal taxonomic classification of viruses is the responsibility of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) system, although the Baltimore classification system can be used to place viruses into one of seven groups based on their manner of mRNA synthesis. Specific naming conventions and further classification guidelines are set out by the ICTV. A catalogue of all the world's known viruses has been proposed and, in 2013, some preliminary efforts were underway. Definitions Species definition Species form the basis for any biological classification system. Before 1982, it was thought that viruses could not be made to fit Ernst May ...
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Pospiviroid
''Pospiviroid'' is a genus of viroid Viroids are small single-stranded, circular RNAs that are infectious pathogens. Unlike viruses, they have no protein coating. All known viroids are inhabitants of angiosperms (flowering plants), and most cause diseases, whose respective economi ...s that most commonly infects tubers. It belongs to the family '' Pospiviroidae''. The first viroid discovered was a pospiviroid, the PSTVd species (potato spindle tuber viroid). References External links ICTV Report: ''Pospiviroidae'' Viroids Virus genera {{Virus-stub ...
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Pospiviroidae
The Pospiviroidae are a family of viroids, including the first viroid to be discovered, PSTVd. Their secondary structure is key to their biological activity. The classification of this family is based on differences in the conserved central region sequence. The genome consists (in this order) of an LH terminal domain, a pathogenic domain, conserved central region (pospiviroid RY motif stem loop), variable domain, and an RH terminal domain. ''Pospiviroidae'' replication occurs in an asymmetric fashion via host cell RNA polymerase, RNase, and RNA ligase. Taxonomy The family contains the following genera: * ''Apscaviroid'' * ''Cocadviroid'' * ''Coleviroid'' * ''Hostuviroid Hostuviroid is a genus of viroid Viroids are small single-stranded, circular RNAs that are infectious pathogens. Unlike viruses, they have no protein coating. All known viroids are inhabitants of angiosperms (flowering plants), and most caus ...'' * '' Pospiviroid'' References External linksICTV Repo ...
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Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid
The potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) was the first viroid to be identified.Discovery of Viroids
PSTVd is a small, single stranded molecule closely related to the chrysanthemum stunt viroid. Present within the viroidal RNA is the common to its genus. The natural hosts are

Theodor Otto Diener
Theodor Otto Diener (born 28 February 1921) is a Swiss-American plant pathologist. In 1971, he discovered that the causative agent of the potato spindle tuber disease is not a virus, but a novel agent, which consists solely of a short strand of single-stranded RNA without a protein capsid, eighty times smaller than the smallest viruses. He proposed to name it, and similar agents yet to be discovered, viroids. Viroids displaced viruses as the smallest known infectious agents. Biography Diener was born in Zürich, Switzerland. He attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with a Dr.sc.nat.ETH degree in 1946. After graduation, he worked as a research assistant at the Swiss Federal Experiment Station for Viticulture and Horticulture at Wädenswil, where he discovered on leaves of a cherry tree the first occurrence in more than 100 years of a rust fungus (''Puccinia cerasi''), a fungus which is common south of the Alps, but is rarely seen in the north. ...
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Rolling Circle
Rolling circle replication (RCR) is a process of unidirectional nucleic acid replication that can rapidly synthesize multiple copies of circular molecules of DNA or RNA, such as plasmids, the genomes of bacteriophages, and the circular RNA genome of viroids. Some eukaryotic viruses also replicate their DNA or RNA via the rolling circle mechanism. As a simplified version of natural rolling circle replication, an isothermal DNA amplification technique, rolling circle amplification was developed. The RCA mechanism is widely used in molecular biology and biomedical nanotechnology, especially in the field of biosensing (as a method of signal amplification). Circular DNA replication Rolling circle DNA replication is initiated by an initiator protein encoded by the plasmid or bacteriophage DNA, which nicks one strand of the double-stranded, circular DNA molecule at a site called the double-strand origin, or DSO. The initiator protein remains bound to the 5' phosphate end of the ...
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Hepatitis D Virus
Hepatitis D is a type of viral hepatitis caused by the hepatitis delta virus (HDV). HDV is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. HDV is considered to be a satellite (a type of subviral agent) because it can propagate only in the presence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Transmission of HDV can occur either via simultaneous infection with HBV (coinfection) or superimposed on chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis B carrier state (superinfection). HDV infecting a person with chronic hepatitis B (superinfection) is considered the most serious type of viral hepatitis due to its severity of complications. These complications include a greater likelihood of experiencing liver failure in acute infections and a rapid progression to liver cirrhosis, with an increased risk of developing liver cancer in chronic infections. In combination with hepatitis B virus, hepatitis D has the highest fatality rate of all the hepatitis infections, at 20%. A recent estimate from 2020 suggest ...
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RNA World
The RNA world is a hypothetical stage in the evolutionary history of life on Earth, in which self-replicating RNA molecules proliferated before the evolution of DNA and proteins. The term also refers to the hypothesis that posits the existence of this stage. Alexander Rich first proposed the concept of the RNA world in 1962, and Walter Gilbert coined the term in 1986. Alternative chemical paths to life have been proposed, and RNA-based life may not have been the first life to exist. Even so, the evidence for an RNA world is strong enough that the hypothesis has gained wide acceptance. The concurrent formation of all four RNA building blocks further strengthened the hypothesis. Regardless of its plausibility in a prebiotic scenario, the RNA world can serve as a model system for studying the origin of life. Like DNA, RNA can store and replicate genetic information; like protein enzymes, RNA enzymes ( ribozymes) can catalyze (start or accelerate) chemical reactions that ar ...
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Citrus Exocortis
Citrus exocortis is a disease of citrus plants, caused by the Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd). It can cause stunted growth and reduced yields in affected plants. The disease is also sometimes called "scalybutt". CEVd can also infect tomato plants. The resulting disease is sometimes called "tomato bunchy top disease." Symptoms Other symptoms include leaf epinasty, stunting, and necrosis of the leaf midvein. Affected trees will show rootstock "shelling" where the bark peels off of the rootstock the lower tree that the main orange cultivar was grafted onto. Generally trifoliate orange rootstocks and their hybrids are susceptible. Management Infected trees should be culled from the orchard. When pruning in infected orchards, tools must be vigorously bleached between cuts to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of infections. Heat does not kill the viroid. See also * List of citrus diseases A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: Peopl ...
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International Committee On Taxonomy Of Viruses
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of and the nomenclatures for viruses. The ICTV has developed a universal taxonomic scheme for viruses, and thus has the means to appropriately describe, name, and classify every virus that affects living organisms. The members of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses are considered expert virologists. The ICTV was formed from and is governed by the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. Detailed work, such as delimiting the boundaries of species within a family, typically is performed by study groups of experts in the families. History The International Committee on Nomenclature of Viruses (ICNV) was established in 1966, at the International Congress for Microbiology in Moscow, to standardize the naming of viruses. The ICVN published its first report in 1971. For viruses infecting vertebrates, the first report included ...
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