You are performing experiments on viruses. You have a variety of enzymes in your lab that target different organelles or macromolecules. Which enzyme will be most effective in destroying viruses?

The correct answer is: Nuclease (DNAse or RNAse).

Explanation:

Virus particles are majorly made up of two components: Capsid: It can be defined as a glyco-protein rich coat that encloses the viral particles. Genetic material: It can be DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) or RNA (Ribonucleic Acid). It can be either in the form of single strand or in the form of double strand. The genetic material is the infectious component of the viruses. This is because if the viral genetic material gets access into the host cell, it can hijack the host cell machinery to produce new viral particles thereby causing infection in the host. Therefore, in order to destroy viral particles it is necessary to destroy its genetic material, that is, DNA or RNA. Nuclease is the enzyme which is capable of hydrolysing and hence degrading the nucleic acids. The nuclease specific for DNA is called DNase. The nuclease specific for RNA is called RNase. Depending upon the type of virus, DNA virus (having DNA as the genetic material) or RNA virus (having RNA as the genetic material), either DNAse or RNAse needs to be used for destroying the virus.