Viruses & Cells Comparison - Essay Example

Viruses & Cells Comparison According to Patton, cells are the basic building blocks in any living thing (50). The bodies of living things are made up of trillions of cells which provide it with structure, and also taking up nutrients and converting them into energy. The yielded energy is then used for specialized functions within the organism. A virus on the other had refers to an infectious agent made up of a genetic material and surrounded by a protein shell. The genetic material carries the hereditary traits of the virus to the offspring.

It can either be the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or even the ribonucleic acid (RNA). Kaku, Sarai and Murakami note that viruses are similar to cells in many ways (410). However, viruses are not classified as living things. The two have similarity and differences in terms of structure and functions.The first major similarity between the living cells and viruses is that they both contain genetic materials. Although the structure of viruses vary, Sarnow states that all viruses contain either the RNA or DNA strand (2810).

This makes them similar to the living cells which also have such genetic materials. The second similarity between the living cells and viruses is that they reproduce. It is however worth noting that the mode of reproduction in the cells and that in the viruses differ as the latter depends on the host. The final similar is the both living cells and viruses can cause harm to other existing living cells.Despite the shared similarities, living cells and viruses are still different. They are classified differently because of the inherent structural and functional differences.

Unlike living cells which can reproduce on their own, viruses have to rely on other cells for them to reproduce. Viruses lack other cells parts like the plasma membrane, ribosomes and the cytoplasm. They, therefore, infest a living host and use its cells to reproduce. Secondly, living cells are self-sustaining while the viruses are not. Living cells are able to survive on their own because they have all the required structures and proteins which allow them to carry out life sustaining processes and functions.

Viruses, on the other hand, have to rely on a host cell or organism. The third difference is that living cells can synthesize proteins while viruses cannot. Cells have ribosomes and can easily synthesize proteins on their own. Viruses lack these ribosomes and have to rely on the host cells to be able to translate its messenger RNA into the viral proteins. According to Grifo and Tahara, viruses do not have the ability to generate and store energy in form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as in the case with living cells (5804).

They derive their energy and all other metabolic functions from the host living cells. They do this by using basics building materials like Amino acids, lipids and nucleotides from the host organism. Finally, viruses cannot respond to stimuli as it is the case of the living cells. Viruses are inert chemicals which cannot perform critical life functions or even responding to stimuli.Works CitedGrifo, James and Tahara, Stanley. New Initiation Factor Activity Required for Globin mRNA Translation. J. Biol. Chem. 258. 12 (2013):5804-5810. Print.Kaku, Yau, Sarai, Akinori and Murakami, Joseph.

“Genetic Reclassification of Porcine Enteroviruses. J. Gen. Virol. 82.6 (2001):417-424. Print.Patton, John. Segmented Double-stranded RNA Viruses: Structure and Molecular Biology. New York: Horizon Scientific Press. Print.Sarnow, Peter. “Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Site Elements: Novel Ribosome-RNA Complexes and Roles in Viral Pathogenesis.” J. Virol. 77. 7 (2003): 2801-2820. Print.