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Mycoplasma viruses.

J Maniloff
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Abstract

Unlike bacterial viruses that infect cells bounded by a cell wall, mycoplasma viruses have evolved to enter and propagate in mycoplasma cells bounded only by a single lipid-protein cell membrane. In addition, mycoplasmas have the smallest amount of genetic information of any known cells, so their complexity is constrained by a limited genetic coding capacity. As a consequence of these host cell differences, mycoplasma viruses have been found to have a variety of structures and replication strategies which are different from those of the bacterial viruses. This article is a critical review of mycoplasma viruses infecting the genera Acholeplasma, Spiroplasma, and Mycoplasma; included are data on classification, morphology and structure, biological and physical properties, chemical composition, and productive and lysogenic replication cycles.

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AcholeplasmaBacteriophagesMycoplasmaSpiroplasmaJournal ArticleResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.Review

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J Maniloff. 1988. Mycoplasma viruses.. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408418809104462

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