Final answer:
Enveloped viruses possess a lipid bilayer membrane studded with proteins for host attachment, while non-enveloped viruses are more robust with a simpler structure. A virion comprises a nucleic acid core and capsid, essential for the virus's infection cycle. Studying these structures helps in understanding viral behavior and developing treatments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Viruses, as acellular biological entities, come in two main morphological types: enveloped and non-enveloped (na_ked) viruses. A virion is the complete virus particle and consists of a nucleic acid core and a protein coat known as a capsid. In enveloped viruses, this basic structure is surrounded by a lipid bilayer membrane, or envelope, acquired from the host cell. This envelope is embedded with viral proteins necessary for the virus to attach and enter host cells. Non-enveloped viruses lack this membrane and instead, have more robust capsids that can withstand harsher environmental conditions than their enveloped counterparts.
Enveloped viruses, such as influenza, use their envelope's glycoproteins to attach to host cells. The envelope and matrix proteins are crucial for virion stability and assembly. Non-enveloped viruses like rhinoviruses penetrate host cells by changing their capsid proteins' structure, creating channels, or being engulfed via endocytosis.
Animal viruses typically exit the host cell either by budding (enveloped viruses) or lysis/apoptosis (non-enveloped viruses). Understanding virus morphology and structure is key to the development of therapeutic treatments and the study of virus molecular systematics offers insights into viral origins.