2.0 Virology Flashcards
What is the size range of a virus?
Most are <b>20-700nm</b><br></br><br></br>(can be smaller)
What is the smallest virus?
Foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) - 20nm
What is the largest virus?
Mimivirus - 700nm
What is the structure of virions?
<b>1) Nucleic acid (genome)</b><br></br><b>2) Capsid</b><br></br><br></br>Some have:<br></br>3) Lipid membrane (envelope)
Structure of capsids:
Composed of <b>capsomers</b> (repeating protein units)<br></br>Symmetrical (can be <b>helical</b> or <b>icosahedral</b>
Structure of lipid membrane:
Phosopholipid membrane (aquired from host)<br></br>Embedded viral protein<br></br>May be glycosylated
How do virions increase the coding capacity of their small genomes?
1) Densely packed genes<br></br>2) Overlapping reading frames<br></br>3) Splicing<br></br>4) Few non-coding regions
What are the different ways to measure viruses?
<b>1) Electron micrograph</b><br></br>- Useful for quantification<br></br>- No info on virulence<br></br><br></br><b>2) Polymerase chain reaction</b><br></br>- Useful for diagnosis<br></br>- No info on virulence<br></br><br></br><b>3) Immunological evidence of infection</b><br></br>- Detection of adaptive immune response<br></br>- Too slow for diagnosis (useful epidemiologically)<br></br>- Can give some info on virulence<br></br><br></br><b>4) Plaque assay</b><br></br>- Preffered method to measure infectivity
What are the stages of viral replication?
1) Adsorption and penetration<br></br>2) Eclipse phase<br></br>3) Assembly and release
What is the mean burst size?
Average yield of virus particles per cell<br></br>- Varies greatly
How does HIV bind to target cell?
<b>gp120</b> (envelope glycoprotein) on HIV binds to <b>CD4</b> + chemokine co-receptor<br></br><br></br>CD4 = only on T-cells
How does influenza bind to target cell?
<b>Haemagglutin (HA)</b> (envelope glycoprotein) on influenza binds to <b>sialic acid</b><br></br><br></br>Sialic acid = on most cells
How does EBV bind to target cell?
<b>gp340</b> (envelope glycoprotein) on EBV binds to <b>CD21</b>
How does HIV penetrate the target cell?
Binding of gp120 to CD4 → conformational change in virus gp120/gp41 → <b>virus envelope fuses with plasma membrane</b>
How does infleunza penetrate the target cell?
Binding of HA to sialic acid → <b>endocytosis</b> → endosome is acidified <br></br><br></br>↓ pH → rearrangement of HA → viral envelope is pulled closer to vesicle membrane → disruption → fusion
What happens in the eclipse phase?
<b>No virus particle present in host cell</b><br></br><br></br>Virus has disassembled<br></br>Genome is being replicated<br></br>Virus proteins are being made
What are the steps for -ve ssRNA and dsRNA viral replication?
<b>OCCURS IN CYTOPLASM</b><br></br><br></br><b>1) Viral genome transcribed to +ve sense RNA</b><br></br>- Enzyme = viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase<br></br><b>2) +ve sense RNA can be used as mRNA or to make new viral genome</b><br></br><br></br>Exception to this is influenza (occurs in nucleus - uses host RNA pol II)
What are the steps for +ve ssRNA viral replication?
<b>OCCURS IN CYTOPLASM</b><br></br><br></br><b>1. Translation</b><br></br>- Translated proteins include RNA dependent RNA polymerase<br></br><b>2. Virus genome is replicated into complimentary (-ve sense) RNA </b>(RNA dependent RNA polymerase)<br></br><b>3. Second stage of replication is to copy -ve sense to +ve RNA </b>(RNA dependent RNA polymerase)<br></br><b>4. These can then be packaged into new virions</b>
What are the steps for retrovirus replication?
<b>1. Virus genome is copied by reverse transcriptase</b><br></br>- This is an RNA dependent DNA pol<br></br>- Packaged within the virus particle<br></br>- Creates dsDNA intermediate<br></br><b>2. dsDNA intermediate is integrated into host genome</b><br></br>- Provirus<br></br><b>3. mRNA is transcribed by host DNA dependent RNA pol II</b><br></br>- provirus = template<br></br><b>4. Full length transcripts can be translated</b><br></br><b>5. Or packaged into new virus capsids in the cytoplasm</b>
What are the steps for ds DNA viral replication?
<b>OCCURS IN NUCLEUS</b><br></br><br></br><b>1. Virus genome is transported into nucleus</b><br></br><b>2. Transcription</b><br></br>- Uses host DNA-dependent RNA pol<br></br><b>3. mRNA translation</b><br></br>- Occurs in cytoplasm<br></br><b>4. Some proteins are transported back to nucleus</b><br></br>- e.g. DNA pol and capsid proteins<br></br><b>5. In nucleus viral DNA is replicated and progeny genomes are packed into new capsids</b>
How are poxviridae virions an exception to ds DNA viral replication?
Replication occurs in cytoplasm<br></br><br></br>They carry their own enzymes (DNA dep. RNA pol + capping/polyadenylating enzyme)<br></br><br></br>Viral DNA alone is not infectious
In viral replication, what do early genes code for and what do late genes code for?
1) Early genes → nucleic acid replication (+ modification of host cell)<br></br><br></br>2) Late genes → structural proteins of virion<br></br><br></br>(Early proteins = low amounts, late proteins = large amounts)
What are the mechanisms virions use to make different proteins (poly-protein processing)?
<b>1) Post-translational cleavage</b> (using specific proteases)<br></br><br></br><b>2) Segemental genome</b> (influenza)<br></br><br></br><b>3) Splicing</b> (e.g. HIV → gp160 → gp120 + gp41)
What are the two mechanisms of viral release from a cell?
1) Lysis of cell<br></br>2) Budding of enveloped virus
What viruses show latency?
1) Retroviruses<br></br>2) Herpesviruses
What modifications to host cells can viruses induce?
1) Subversion of cellular metabolism to make only viral proteins<br></br>2) Cell stimulation <br></br>3) ↑ dNTP pool<br></br>4) Membrane modifications<br></br>5) Cytopathic effect (CPE)<br></br>6) ↓ host cell signalling (↓ innate immunity)<br></br>7) Lytic/non-lytic infections<br></br>8) Cell transformation
What viruses cause lytic infections?
1) DNA viruses<br></br>2) Non-enveloped RNA<br></br>3) Viruses that cause host-cell shut off
What viruses cause non-lytic infections?
1) Enveloped RNA<br></br>2) Retroviruses
What viruses cause cell transformation?
1) HPV → wart/cervical cancer (16 +18)<br></br>2) Rous sarcoma virus → sarcoma in chickens