title: A replication cycle for viroids and other small infectious RNA's.
abstract: Experimental data concerning viroid-specific nucleic acids accumulating in tomato plants establish, together with earlier studies, the major features of a replication cycle for viroid RNA in plant cells. Many features of this pathway, which involves multimeric strands of both polarities, may be shared by other small infectious RNA's including certain satellite RNA's and "virusoid" RNA's which replicate in conjunction with conventional plant viruses. The presence, in host plans, of an elaborate machinery for replicating these disease agents suggests a role for endogenous small RNA's in cellular development.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D008954:Models, Biological; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009694:Nucleic Acid Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011130:RNA Ligase (ATP) / Q000378:metabolism; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012326:RNA Splicing; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014772:Viroids / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D009694:Nucleic Acid Precursors; D010710:Phosphates; D012322:RNA Precursors; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012313:RNA; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D011130:RNA Ligase (ATP)