define the shape of virus?

Answer 1

Comparison of virus capsid shapes to surfaces linearly interpolated between an icosahedron and a sphere.

The two examples show that if the interpolated surface is chosen to match the capsid envelope near 5-fold and 3-fold symmetry axes, then it protrudes further than the capsid near the 2-fold symmetry axes.

The inner and outer capsid layer in an atomic model of the rice dwarf capsid (PDB 1uf2) are not cleanly separated by the f = 0.2, r = 332 icosahedral surface. Proteins from both layers penetrate the surface.

View the shape here..


http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/icosahedron05/icosahedron.html

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

You need to be more specific - which virus? They don't even maintain their shape among the same species of virus - they "move" a little bit, I guess in a way like shaken Jello. They do not all have the same shape. However, I have heard the term "dodecahedral" to describe virus shape many times - it means having a 12-sided shape. It applies to some of the viruses.

Answer 4

Viruses are classified by the type of nucleic acid they contain, and the shape of their protein capsule.

So the proteins (capsids) of a virus defines it's shape.


Size and shape : Viruses are minute entities, even smaller than the smallest bacterium. They can be seen only under electron microscope as small particles called virons. Being minute, they are measured in millimicrons (1m m = 1/1000 m ). Generally they vary from 10 mm to 300 mmð in size.


Viruses occur in three main shapes, viz.


(I) Polyhedral or spherical, e.g. adeno virus, herpes virus etc.

(II) Helical or rod-like, e.g. tobacco mosaic virus, (TMV), influenza virus, etc.

(III) Complex or irregular, e.g. bacteriophage, vaccinia, etc.


http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookDiversity_1.html

Answer 5

First you would have to be much more specific as to exactly which virus you are talking about as almost every virus has a differently shaped surface.

Answer 6

They vary -- a lot. One looks like an icosahedron mounted on a platform, supported by legs, and with a tube down the bottom, through which the virus inserts its DNA into the cell it is attacking. Others are very different.

Answer 7

Different viruses have different shapes
Like tobacco mosaic virus is mosaic shaped
Bacteriophage virus is crystal *** ant shaped
So there is no definite shape of a virus

Answer 8

Any of particularly some trouble-free submicroscopic parasites of vegetation, animals, and micro organism that many times reason ailment and that consist in reality of a center of RNA or DNA surrounded with the aid of a protein coat. no longer able to replica without quite a number cellular, viruses are many times no longer seen residing organisms.

Answer 9

The one I know has the very recongizable form we are all used to seeing from the time we get up, I guess we call them humans. This particular specimen in question also is known as the BOSS

Answer 10

the shape of viruses are determined by the arrangement of proteins in their caspids.some of viruses, such as tobacco mosaic virus, are rod-shaped. other viruses, such as poliovirus and adenovirus, are polyhedral, or many -sided.most viruses range in size from 20 to 400 nm (nanometer).

source: addison- wesley (biology)