Is the F plasmid a viroid?

[Ed Rybicki]

In article <plyjmh.2.0010ECB3 at pln1.life.nottingham.uk.ac> plyjmh at pln1.life.nottingham.uk.ac (Mazda Hewitt) writes:

>The F plasmid seems to behave similarly to a viroid.  It causes its host 
>to replicate and spread it to a new host.

>Is this a good analogy?

Nooooooo.....since when do viroids make their hosts replicate?  Some viruses 
do, most notably things like papova- and adenoviruses, but not viroids.

Lousy analogy!  Do you mean virus, maybe?  I suggest you look up any basic 
text on virology - preferably an old Luria et al., General Virology, 3rd. Edn. 
- and see what they say about viruses and plasmids.


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