AuCoin: Retroviruses and HIV Flashcards
Describe a retrovirus
spherical
enveloped
two identical copies of + strand RNA genome
capsid + envelope (acquired from the plasma membrane) with viral glycoproteins
What do retroviruses encode?
an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase)
When the DNA copy of the viral genome is produced in a retrovirus, what happens?
It is integrated into the host chromosome to become a cellular gene, or a provirus
the first retrovirus to be isolated it produced solid tumors in chickens
Rous sarcoma virus
Cancer causing retroviruses are called (blank)
RNA tumor viruses
oncornaviruses
How do many retroviruses alter cellular growth?
by expressing oncogenes
This was the first retrovirus to be found to be associated with human disease
Human T-lymphocyte virus
When did AIDS first become a “problem?”
in the late 1970s, early 1980s
When is a retrovirus considered an oncovirus?
when it immortalizes or transforms its target tissue
These viruses are associated with neurologic and immunosuppressive diseases
lentiviruses (HIV)
There are three subfamilies of retroviruses. What are they?
- oncovirus (HTLV)
- lentivirus (HIV)
- Spurmavirus
What are some components contained in the retrovirus virion?
10-50 copies of reverse transcriptase and integrase enzymes
two cellular transfer RNA (tRNAs)
What are the tRNAs in the retrovirus virion used for?
they are the primer for the reverse transcriptase
All retroviruses include 3 major genes that encode polyproteins. What are they?
gag - structural protein
pol - polymerase
env - envelope
What is contained at each end of the retrovirus genome?
long terminal repeat sequences which contain promoters and enhancers to bind cellular transcription factors
What do complex viruses, like HTLV and HIV encode?
virulence-enhancing proteins that require more complex trx processing
How are viral glycoproteins produced?
proteolytic cleavage of the polyprotein encoded by the env gene
Which glycoprotein is cleaved to form the two glycoproteins that form the spikes on the virion surface?
gp160 —> gp41 and gp120
What does gp120 on the surface of the virus do?
it binds to cell surface receptors, which initially determines which cells/tissue the virus will enter
What is one factor that impedes the clearance of HIV?
gp120 on its surface is very glycosylated and its antigenicity and receptor specificity can drift during the course of infection
What does gp41 on the surface of HIV do?
promotes cell fusion
How does HIV replication begin?
gp120 binds to CD4 on T cells or CCR5 on macrophages, and other T cells)
Which other receptor on T cells can gp120 bind to during chronic infection?
CXCR4
What happens when gp120 binds its co-receptor?
the viral envelope and the cell plasma membrane come close together and gp41 can promote membrane fusion
What happens once the viral cell and host cell undergo fusion?
the + strand RNA is released into the cytoplasm and reverse transcriptase synthesizes a complementary - strand DNA
Besides transcribing DNA from RNA, what else does reverse transcriptase do?
acts as a ribonuclease H and degrades the + strand RNA and resynthesizes the + strand DNA to form the cDNA
This is a major target for antivirals
reverse transcriptase
The (blank) chemokine receptor is used upon initial infection of an individual, and after mutation of the env gene, the (blank) receptor is also used
CCR5; CXCR4