Prokaryotic And Viruses

Question 1

Replication of viruses

Answer 1

They are non-living so can’t undergo mitosis

Instead they replicate by attaching to their host cell with attachment proteins in their surface

Then they inject their nucleic acid into the host cell

Genetic information on the injected viral nucleic acid then provides the ‘instructions’ for the host cells metabolic process to start producing the viral components, nucleic acids , enzymes and structural proteins, which are then assembled into new virus

Question 2

Cell division of prokaryotic cells

Answer 2

Process takes place by BINARY FISSION

the circular DNA molecule replicates and both copies attach to the cell membrane

The plasmids also replicate

Cell membrane begins to grow between the 2 DNA molecules and begins to pinch inwards, dividing the cytoplasm into 2

A new cell wall forms between the 2 molecules of DNA, dividing the original cell into 2 identical daughter cell, each with a single copy of circular DNA And a variable number of copies of the plasmid