Chapter 19 Questions Flashcards
Viruses can vary with respect to all of the following characteristics except _____.
the presence or absence of metabolic machinery
-Viruses are not classified by the presence or absence of metabolic machinery, because viruses do not contain metabolic machinery.
Viruses can vary with respect to all of the following characteristics
- single- or double-stranded nucleic acids
- the presence or absence of a membranous envelope
- DNA or RNA as the genetic material
- the type of host cell it can infect
A microbiologist analyzes chemicals obtained from an enveloped RNA virus that infects monkeys. He finds that the viral envelope contains a protein characteristic of monkey cells. Which of the following is the most likely explanation?
The viral envelope forms as the virus leaves the host cell.
Which of the following, if any, may be a component of a virus?
- double-stranded (ds) DNA
- single-stranded (ss) RNA
- protein
- phospholipid bilayer
Viruses that infect bacteria are called _____.
bacteriophages
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, only infects certain cells within the immune system. This is because _____.
the virus binds to specific receptors that are only present on certain immune cells
Cancer cells often have protein receptor molecules on their surfaces that differ from those on normal body cells. Given this fact, how might viruses be used to treat cancer?
Viruses could be engineered to infect only cancer cells by altering viral surface proteins to recognize only the receptors on cancer cells.
-The host specificity of viruses could be used to make cancer cells “sick” whereas normal body cells would not be infected. This approach would reduce the collateral damage seen in chemotherapy.
Why are phages useful in treating bacterial infections in humans?
- Because of their host specificity, they only attack bacteria. They do not affect eukaryotic cells.
- Because of their specificity, a phage can be used that will only infect the pathogenic bacteria, leaving helpful bacteria alone.
- Because phages are free to evolve, bacteria are less likely to develop a lasting resistance to them.
When a virus infects an E. coli cell, what part of the virus enters the bacterial cytoplasm?
only the nucleic acid
-After attaching to receptors on the surface of the bacterial cell, the virus injects its DNA into the cell.
The phage reproductive cycle that kills the bacterial host cell is a _____ cycle, and a phage that always reproduces this way is a _____ phage.
lytic … virulent
-A lytic cycle ends with the lysis of the bacterial host cell.
In the lytic life cycle of phages _____.
the cell typically dies, releasing many copies of the virus
-After attaching to receptors on the surface of the bacterial cell, the phage injects its nucleic acid into the cell. The phage then hijacks the cellular machinery to manufacture many copies of itself.
Restriction enzymes help defend bacteria against viral infections by _____.
cutting viral DNA once it has entered the cell
A phage that inserts itself into the host DNA is called _____.
lysogenic
A prophage is a(n) _____.
viral genome that has been incorporated into a bacterial cell’s chromosome
In the lysogenic cycle of phages _____.
- only a small number of the viral genes are expressed
- the nucleic acid core of the phage is all that enters the host cell
- the viral nucleic acid inserts itself into the host chromosome
- the viral nucleic acid is replicated along with the host DNA
What is the origin of the phospholipid membrane that envelops many animal viruses?
It is “stolen” from the host cell, but it contains some proteins encoded by the viral genome.
Why can flare-ups of herpesvirus infection recur throughout a person’s life?
Herpesvirus can leave its DNA behind as minichromosomes in nerve cell nuclei. Stress can trigger another round of virus production, producing characteristic blisters and sores.
How do retroviruses, such as HIV, differ from other viruses?
They can transcribe a DNA copy from a RNA template.
Reverse transcription, carried out by retroviruses, is the process by which _____.
RNA information is copied into DNA
Which statement below is a correct comparison of a “regular” RNA virus and an RNA retrovirus?
Both produce protein coats via translation of mRNA.
When comparing DNA and RNA viruses, which mutate more quickly, and why?
RNA viruses, because no proofreading is done on RNA molecules
-There are no proofreading enzymes for RNA, so mutations in the RNA genome of a virus are not repaired, and mutations can persist.
The symptoms of a viral infection in a person can be caused by _____.
- toxic viral components, such as envelope proteins
- the death of infected cells
- the reaction of the individual’s immune system to the infection
- the production of toxins by infected cells
Vaccines for viral diseases are _____ and help prevent infection by _____.
harmless derivatives of pathogenic viruses … stimulating the immune system to mount a defense against the actual pathogen
Emerging viruses can originate from which of the following sources?
- animal viruses
- the mutation of existing human viruses
- viruses previously confined to small, isolated populations that can now spread due to technological or social changes such as the development of affordable international travel
What is the function of hemagglutinin in the influenza virus?
Hemagglutinin is the protein that helps the influenza virus attach to host cells.
-There are 16 types of hemagglutinin in various strains of influenza, but they all function in recognition and attachment.
Birds act as a natural _____ for the influenza _____ virus.
reservoir … A
-Birds are a major reservoir for influenza A, and their ability to migrate all over the world is a major factor in the spread of avian flu.
Which of the following is an example of vertical transmission of a virus in plants?
An infected plant produces seeds that contain the virus, giving rise to infected progeny.
Plant viruses spread throughout the plant by way of _____.
plasmodesmata
-Plasmodesmata connect the cytoplasm of different cells and allow nutrients and fluids to move throughout the plant. Viruses can spread through these connections.
Circular RNA molecules that function like a virus in plants are termed _____.
viroid
Prions are _____ that are thought to cause disease by _____.
abnormally shaped proteins … inducing similar but normally shaped proteins in the brain to adopt the abnormal form
A new pathogenic form of influenza A can emerge when _____.
- All of the listed factors likely contribute to the emergence of a new pathogenic strain of influenza A.
- there is a concurrent infection of a pig or bird by two or more different strains of influenza A
- a mutation occurs in a virus as it passes from one host to another
- the genomes of two or more influenza A strains mix and match during viral assembly within a host
- a virus with a novel genetic makeup recombines with viruses that circulate widely among humans