Answer to Question #264000 in Microbiology for Jen

Question

why do the types of virus differ if each has plus configuration single stranded Rna as its genome?

Answer 1

The genomic RNA strand of single-stranded RNA viruses is called sense (positive sense, plus sense) in orientation if it can serve as mRNA, and antisense (negative sense, minus sense) if a complementary strand synthesized by a viral RNA transcriptase serves as mRNA. Also considered in viral classification is the site of capsid assembly and, in enveloped viruses, the site of envelopment.