Chapter 5: An Introduction to the Viruses Flashcards
Viruses are known to infect…
Every type of cell (bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa, plants and animals)
Seawater can contain _____ viruses per milliliter
100 million
What did Louis Pasteur do in terms of viruses?
- Postulated that a “living thing” smaller than bacteria caused these diseases
- Also proposed the term virus
Virus is latin for..
Poison
20% of the human genome consists of sequences that come from…
Viruses
10-20% of DNA contains ______ _____
Viral sequences
Obligate intracellular parasites (meaning)
Cannot multiply unless they invade a specific host cell and instruct its genetic and metabolic machinery to make and release new viruses
Viruses are the _____ infectious agents known to man
Smallest
What are the smallest viruses called and how big are they?
Parvoviruses around 20 nm in diameter
What are the largest viruses and how big are they?
Mimiviruses around 450 nm in length
What is the newly discovered Pandoravirus?
Large virus nearly 1 um!
What are the largest human viruses?
Poxviruses
Some cylindrical viruses can be relatively long but are ______ in diameter
Narrow
Are viruses cells?
No, they lack any of the protein synthesizing machinery found in cells
What are the main parts that make up a virus?
- External coating (capsid)
- Core containing one or more nucleic acid strains of DNA or RNA
- Sometimes one or two enzymes
- Sometimes a membrane (envelope)
What can be contained in the “covering” of a virus particle?
Capsid
Envelope (not in all viruses)
What can be found in the “central core” of viruses?
Nucleic acid molecules
Matrix proteins Enzymes (not found in all viruses)
Capsids will be present in ___ viruses
All
Nucleic acids will be present in _____ viruses
All
Envelope of viruses
Usually a modified piece of the host’s cell membrane
What does a viral envelope determine?
Viral entry strategy
Capsid
Protein shell that surrounds a nucleic acid
Nucleocapsid
The capsid together with the nucleic acid
What are naked viruses?
Those without an envelope, consist only of a nucleocapsid
What is another name for spikes?
Peplomers
Spikes
Can be found on naked or enveloped virus, project from the nucleocapsid or the envelope and allow viruses to attach to host cells
Virion
A fully formed virus that is able to establish an infection in a host cell
Envelope is ______ of capsid
Outside
Is the viral envelope similar to the host’s membranes?
No, it differs significantly, some or all of the regular membrane proteins are replaced with viral proteins
What are viral glycoproteins?
They are exposed on the outside of the envelope
Enveloped viruses are ________
Pleomorphic
What does pleomorphic mean?
Have a variable shape ranging from spherical to filamentous