virion
pronunciation
How to pronounce virion in British English:
UK ['vaɪərɪˌɒn]
How to pronounce virion in American English:
US ['vaɪərɪˌɒn]
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- Noun:
- (virology) a complete viral particle; nucleic acid and capsid (and a lipid envelope in some viruses)
Word Origin
- virion (n.)
- coined in French, 1959, from virus (see virus) + -on.
Example
- 1. Virion half-life in chronic hepatitis b infection is strongly correlated with levels of virus .
- 2. Gene cloning and structural analysis of virion host shutoff protein of pseudorabies virus .
- 3. The vaguely egg-like blob is the cell ; the pinpoints of white come from gathering virion , which had been tagged with fluorescent molecules that glowed in strength proportional to their numerical density .
- 4. The more primitive virus , however , carries no repair mechanisms ; a new virion ( complete virus ) acquires lipids for its envelope by literally ripping them off of the cellular membrane as it buds off from the infected cell .
- 5. This allowed the researchers to focus narrowly on an hiv-infected cell 's surface , where the molecular bits and pieces hijacked by the virus gathered to form a new viral particle , or virion .