A2.3 HL only Flashcards
AIDS
a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that occurs when the immune system is severely damaged
HIV
a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases
COVID-19
an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people infected with the virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment
Virus
an infectious agent of small size and simple compositionthat can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria
Outbreak
more cases of a disease than expected in a specific location over a specific time period
Epidemic
the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given populationwithin a short period of time
Pandemic
an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in casesand spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents
single stranded
a nucleic acid structure made up of a single chain of nucleotides, as opposed to the double-stranded structure of DNA.Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is more flexible and dynamic than double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)
double stranded
consists of two polynucleotide chains whosenitrogenous basesare connected by hydrogen bonds
capsid
the protein shell of a virus, enclosing its genetic material. It consists of several oligomeric (repeating) structural subunits made of protein called protomers
Envelope
a surrounding structure or membrane that can refer to a cell envelope, viral envelope, or nuclear envelope
Spherical
capsidshave a spherical shape. Although the virus looks spherical, when examined closely it reveals that they are icosahedral in shape. The triangles of the icosahedral capsid are fused to form a spherical shape. Some of the spherical viruses have an envelope made of lipid membranes.
Helical
a virus with a helical structure, meaning its genetic material is coiled up inside a hollow protein cylinder, or capsid, that resembles a spring or helix
Polyhedral
a virus with a many-sided capsid, or shell, that surrounds its nucleic acid.The capsid is often shaped like an icosahedron, which is a geometric shape with 20 triangular sides and 12 corners
Complex
often in a combination of helical and icosahedral shapes. The head-tail morphology of these complex viruses is unique and is used for infecting bacteria. These types of viruses are also called bacteriophages.
Bacteriophage lambda
a temperate phage, which, upon infection of Escherichia coli, enters either thelyticor lysogenic replication pathway
Coronavirus
a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections
Spike proteins
a protein that forms a large structure known as a spike or peplomer projectingfrom the surface of an enveloped virus
reverse transcriptase
an enzyme that converts RNA into DNA, commonly found in retroviruses like HIV. It is used in molecular biology research to create complementary DNA strands from RNA templates, allowing for the amplification of RNA sequences similar to DNA
retrovirus
A type of virus that has RNA instead of DNA as its genetic material. It uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to become part of the host cells’ DNA. This allows many copies of the virus to be made in the host cells.
CD4 Helper T-cell
one type of lymphocyte that helps coordinate the immune response against infection and disease. They interact and activate other cells in the immune system
Lytic Cycle
one of two cycles that a virus can use to reproduce inside a host cell. The lytic cycle is a series of stages in which a virus hijacks a host cell, uses its components to manufacture more of the virus, destroys and exits the cell, and then goes on to infect other cells.
Biosynthesis
the process by which living organisms create complex products from simpler components through chemical reactions
virions
a complete, infectious virus particle that contains a virus’s genome and a protein coat
