engleski

Viroid Biology

Chapter 5 in the book Viroids and Satellites is entiteled Viroid Biology. The biology of viroids is a wide term encompassing biological phenomena exerted by these noncoding, 246-401-nts long, single-stranded circular RNAs. As viroids interfere with plant transcription and trafficking machinery, the term commonly comprises plant host range, symptomatology, distribution within a host and dispersal in the environment (transmission modes). Viroids capacity to replicate and evolve is affected by diverse environmental factors, including biotic ones, encountered within dissimilar hosts and in simultaneous infections with different viroids, viruses or other pathogens. The knowledge of viroid biology ultimately enables us to understand their ecology, evolution, pathogenicity and to control the adverse effects of viroid diseases in host crops.

Biological characteristics ; host range ; symptoms ; cytopathology ; transmission ; viroid longevity

This work was partially supported by the University of zagreb grant no. 2028124.