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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. ( January , 1951.); VI.—THE VIRUS AND THE CELL
Author(s) -
Findlay G. M.
Publication year - 1951
Publication title -
journal of the royal microscopical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0368-3974
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1951.tb01961.x
Subject(s) - nucleoprotein , virus , biology , somatic cell , cell , virology , gene , genetics
SYNOPSIS The varying meanings which have been attached to the word “virus” are discussed. The present conception of a virus is an autocatalytic organism, largely composed of nucleoprotein and competing with the cell which it parasitizes for a substrate common to the virus and the cellular nucleoproteins. The cytological changes produced in cells by viruses are discussed and their analogies to those occurring in mutated cells are indicated. The hypothesis is put forward that as mutations can be induced in unicellular organisms by the addition of extrinsic nuclear material, so a virus‐infected cell can be regarded as a mutated cell. Some virus‐infected cells behave as malignant tumour cells, although viruses cannot be isolated from all malignant tumours. It is, however, suggested that the existence of apparently virus‐mutated malignant cells supports the theory which ascribes all malignant change to somatic mutation. Such somatic mutations would be brought about either by rearrangement of the pre‐existing genes, occurring spontaneously or as a result of some extrinsic stimulus (physical or chemical), or by the addition from outside of a virus‐nucleoprotein which acts as a mutagen.