Characteristics of living organism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Characteristics of living organism - Essay Example The genetic material can exist either as double stranded or single stranded DNA/RNA. Those that have RNA, such as HIV and Influenza, are termed retroviruses and are hard to come up with vaccinations for due to the fact that they synthesize their DNA while they are in the host cell (Beckner, Kleinsmith, Hardin, and Bertoni 99-101). Viruses have their own kind of genetic material which can be stored as DNA or as RNA. The biggest reason as to why viruses are not alive is because they cannot reproduce on their own. They are biological machinery which requires a host. They work by injecting their foreign genetic material into the cell and taking over the cells processes. In the lytic cycle, the machinery in the cell is turned over to the control of the virus. It then begins to replicate copies of itself within the cell. After the maximum area in the cell has been taken up, the cell lyses releasing all the new viruses to infect other cells in the organism. In the lysogenic cycle, the virus integrates its own genetic material into that of the host where it replicates with the organisms genetic material until external factors cause it to become active, which after it enters in to the lytic cycle (Sadava, Heller, Hillis, and Berenbaum 343-48). Viruses are even sometimes used in helping with gene therapy.