Where are protozoa usually found?

Where are protozoa usually found?

Protozoa are single celled organisms. They come in many different shapes and sizes ranging from an Amoeba which can change its shape to Paramecium with its fixed shape and complex structure. They live in a wide variety of moist habitats including fresh water, marine environments and the soil.

Do protozoa like light?

Some Protozoa are heterotrophic, which means they depend on other organisms for sustenance. Other protozoans are autotrophic, which means they can produce their food by using sunlight and biochemical substrates.

What does protozoa feed on?

Protozoa are single-celled animals that feed primarily on bacteria, but also eat other protozoa, soluble organic matter, and sometimes fungi.

What are the disadvantages of retrovirus?

However, the current retroviral vector have potential disadvantages as well, such as (1) requirement for cell division for integration, limiting their in vivo applications; and (2) random integration into host chromosome, resulting in possible insertional mutagenesis or oncogene activation.

What do viral vectors do in gene therapy?

Certain viruses are often used as vectors because they can deliver the new gene by infecting the cell. The viruses are modified so they can’t cause disease when used in people. Some types of virus, such as retroviruses, integrate their genetic material (including the new gene) into a chromosome in the human cell.

What is an advantage to ex vivo therapy?

The advantage of ex vivo gene therapy is the ability to characterize the genetically modified cells extensively and select them for desired phenotypes before using them for therapy. The property of the cells may also be chosen to enhance the therapeutic potential.

Can RNA be converted to DNA?

The initial conversion of RNA to DNA — going in reverse of the central dogma — is called reverse transcription, and viruses that use this mechanism are classified as retroviruses. A specialized polymerase, reverse transcriptase, uses the RNA as a template to synthesize complementary and double-stranded DNA molecule.

What is true retrovirus?

Retroviruses are a type of virus that use a special enzyme called reverse transcriptase to translate its genetic information into DNA. That DNA can then integrate into the host cell’s DNA. Once integrated, the virus can use the host cell’s components to make additional viral particles.