Q.Describe the structure of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV).

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The question asks for a description of the structure of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV). …

The Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) has a comparatively simple but highly regular structure, making it the classic example of helical symmetry among viruses. At its centre lies a single strand of RNA, which forms TMV's entire genetic material and runs the full length of the particle along its central axis. Surrounding this RNA core, identical protein subunits called capsomeres are arranged in a continuous helical (spiral) pattern, stacking together to build up a rigid, hollow protein tube - the capsid - that encloses the RNA strand along its whole length. The overall result is a rigid, rod-shaped virus particle, with the RNA protected o …

• Describing TMV as having a head-and-tail structure, which is actually the structure of a bacteriophage, not of TMV. …