Which type of nucleic acid does SARS-CoV-2 use as its genetic material?

Which type of nucleic acid does SARS-CoV-2 use as its genetic material?

• A. Single-stranded RNA
• B. Double-stranded DNA
• C. Single-stranded DNA
• D. Double-stranded RNA

Answer: (A)

The genetic material is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. That means the viral RNA can act directly as messenger RNA in the host cell, so ribosomes can translate it into viral proteins right away. This is a hallmark of coronaviruses, setting them apart from DNA-based viruses (double- or single-stranded) and from viruses with double-stranded RNA genomes, which require different replication and transcription steps. The single-stranded, positive-polarity RNA also uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to replicate its genome and produce subgenomic RNAs for additional proteins.

The genetic material is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome. That means the viral RNA can act directly as messenger RNA in the host cell, so ribosomes can translate it into viral proteins right away. This is a hallmark of coronaviruses, setting them apart from DNA-based viruses (double- or single-stranded) and from viruses with double-stranded RNA genomes, which require different replication and transcription steps. The single-stranded, positive-polarity RNA also uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to replicate its genome and produce subgenomic RNAs for additional proteins.