Small Circular RNAs Called ________ are Plant Pathogens

Question

Small circular RNAs called ________ are plant pathogens.
A) plasmids
B) viruses
C) viroids
D) prions
E) phages

Accepted Answer

Viroids are small circular RNA molecules that can infect plants and cause diseases. They do not have a protein coat and are not classified as viruses. Plasmids are small DNA molecules that can replicate independently within a bacterial cell, but they are not pathogens. Prions are misfolded proteins that can cause diseases in animals, but they are not RNA molecules. Phages are viruses that infect bacteria, but they are not RNA molecules.