Viroids
In 1971, Theodor Diener proposed the name viroid to describe a newly discovered
pathogen of potatoes. Viroids are many times smaller than the smallest virus,
and consist solely of a small circle of ssRNA containing some 300–400
nucleotide bases and no protein coat. Enzymes in the host’s nucleus are used to
replicate the RNA, which does not appear to be translated into protein.
Ap-preciable sequence homology suggests that viroids arose from transposable elements, segments of DNA
capable of movement within or between DNA molecules. To date, viroids have only
been found in plants, where they cause a variety of diseases.
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