Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: scientizscht on 13/07/2018 08:13:40

Title: Are there techniques to remove the rna from a viral capsid?
Post by: scientizscht on 13/07/2018 08:13:40

Is it possible to extract the rna from a virus without damaging its capsid?

Title: Re: Are there techniques to remove the rna from a viral capsid?
Post by: evan_au on 13/07/2018 11:28:29

Yes. Bacteriophages will happily do that for you if you just give them their some of their host bacteria.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage#Attachment_and_penetration

Title: Re: Are there techniques to remove the rna from a viral capsid?
Post by: scientizscht on 13/07/2018 16:30:50

Quote from: evan_au on 13/07/2018 11:28:29

Yes. Bacteriophages will happily do that for you if you just give them their some of their host bacteria.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage#Attachment_and_penetration

I think you misunderstood, I don't meal to remove the rna from a bacterion. I mean to extract the rna of any virus out of its capsid.

Title: Re: Are there techniques to remove the rna from a viral capsid?
Post by: evan_au on 14/07/2018 02:12:19

Quote from: scientizscht

I don't mean to remove the rna from a bacterion. I mean to extract the rna of a virus

Bacteriophages are viruses. They are just viruses that prey on bacteria rather than people.

Quote

I mean to extract the rna of any virus

There are many kinds of virus, with many types of capsid. No single technique would work on all of them.
Some viruses don't have any RNA - they use DNA instead.