vi·roid (v  roid )n. An infectious particle, smaller than a virus, that consists solely of a strand of RNA and is capable of causing disease in plants. |
viroid
[vī′roid]
a small infective segment of nucleic acid, usually ribonucleic acid (RNA). It is not translated and is replicated by host cell enzymes. Viroids include segments that are complementary to introns and may bind to intron RNA. Viroids are responsible for several plant diseases. Although they have not been associated with animal diseases, viroid-like DNA has been found in cancer cells, and some authorities believe that viroids can evolve into infectious animal viruses. See also intron, plasmid, transposon.
viroid [vi´roid]
any of a class of infectious agents consisting of a small strand of RNA not associated with any protein. The RNA does not code for proteins and is not translated; it is replicated by host cell enzymes. Viroids are known to cause several plant diseases.
viroid
the smallest known infectious agent consisting of a small circular RNA molecule of only 300 to 400 nucleotides that replicates entirely by means of host enzymes since the viroid RNA codes for nothing. It causes a number of important diseases in plants but has not been identified in animals.
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