Definition of Tobacco mosaic virus
1. Noun. The widely studied plant virus that causes tobacco mosaic; it was the first virus discovered (1892).
Medical Definition of Tobacco mosaic virus
1.
Plant RNA virus, the first to be isolated. Consists of a single central strand of RNA (a helix of 6500 nucleotides) enclosed within a coat consisting of 2130 identical capsomeres that, in the absence of the RNA, will self assemble into a cylinder similar to the normal virus but of indeterminate length. Causes mottling of the leaves of the tobacco plant.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Tobacco Mosaic Virus
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