Which of the following statements correctly describes a difference between viruses and prions?
A) Viruses infect many types of cells, whereas prions infect only prokaryotic cells.
B) Viruses have protein capsids surrounding nucleic acids, whereas prions are made only of nucleic acids.
C) Viruses have genomes composed of RNA, whereas prions have genomes composed of DNA.
D) Viruses replicate using its host's DNA replication machinery, whereas prions replicate using host's translation machinery.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Viruses require the host's DNA replication machinery to replicate their genomes, whether RNA or DNA. Prions, on the other hand, are infectious proteins that replicate by inducing misfolding of normal cellular proteins, particularly in the brain, using the host's protein synthesis and folding machinery, not nucleic acid replication machinery.

Which of the Following Statements Correctly Describes a Difference Between