Final answer:
RNA viruses like TMV control the production of new virus particles by providing templates for RNA and protein synthesis. Viral enzymes like RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase mediate these processes, thus supporting the conclusion that RNA is central to viral production.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is an RNA virus that serves as an important model for understanding viral replication and has been used extensively in the field of bioengineering. TMV and other RNA viruses carry genetic material in the form of RNA, which when introduced into a host cell, directs the production of viral components. The RNA serves as a template for the synthesis of viral genomic RNA and messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into viral proteins, including the enzymes needed for replication and the structural proteins that make up the virus's capsid.
Particularly, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is a virally encoded enzyme that allows RNA viruses to replicate by using their RNA genome as a template for the creation of new viral genomes and mRNA. This crucial process depends on the nucleic acid RNA to control the production and assembly of new virus particles, validating the conclusion that RNA controls the production of viruses like TMV.
Retroviruses, like HIV, take this process a step further by using reverse transcriptase to convert their RNA genome into DNA, which is then integrated into the host's genome. This integrated viral DNA, also known as a provirus, can remain in the host for a long time, showing another example of how RNA can control virus production, though in this case indirectly by creating a DNA template.