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Definition of Capsid
1. Noun. A variety of leaf bug.
Group relationships: Capsidae, Family Capsidae, Family Miridae, Miridae
Generic synonyms: Leaf Bug, Plant Bug
Specialized synonyms: Four-lined Leaf Bug, Four-lined Plant Bug, Poecilocapsus Lineatus, Lygus Bug
2. Noun. The outer covering of protein surrounding the nucleic acid of a virus.
Definition of Capsid
1. the outer shell of a virus particle [n -S] : CAPSIDAL [adj]
Medical Definition of Capsid
1. A protein coat that covers the nucleoprotein core or nucleic acid of a virion. Commonly shows icosahedral symmetry and may itself be enclosed in an envelope (as in the Togaviridae). The capsid is built up of subunits (some integer multiple of 60, the number required to give strict icosahedral symmetry) that self assemble in a pattern typical of a particular virus. The subunits are often packed, in smaller capsids, into 5 or 6 membered rings (pentamers or hexamers) that constitute the morphological unit (capsomere). The packing of subunits is not perfectly symmetrical in most cases and some units may have strained interactions and are said to have quasi equivalence of bonding to adjacent units. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)