"class" directed review Flashcards
provide and overview on the 4 main structural components of a virus
• Viruses are non-living particles outside a host cell called virions.
• Virions house the genetic material and functions as a gene transfer system.
• Viruses are made up
of 2 key components:
- Capsid: A layer of protein covering the genetic material.
- Genetic material: Either a DNA or RNA, but never both.
Other components varies between viruses: - Envelop: May have an extra outer covering of the capsid called an envelop.
- Nucleocapsid: Made up of capsid + envelop.
Note: Viruses without capsid are referred to as naked
Provide an overview on the functions on the capsid of a virus
Functions of the capsid
• A capsid protects the genetic component of a virus from inactivation.
• Another function is to recognize, attach and gain entry into host cells
for genetic replication.
• Capsid ensures that the virus is transported to the right host cell
where the genome can be transcribed and replicated.
• A capsid can alters its conformation and ensures the release of the
genetic material into host cells
Provide an overview on the components that constitute a viral capsid, and their symmetry
• Capsids are made up of many molecules of the same or two or more
proteins.
• Molecules making up a capsid are asymmetrical but are arranged to
form symmetrical structures.
• Symmetrical capsids entails that the appearance looks unchanged if
rotated at several angles.
• Virus capsid are Polyhedrons (exist in many forms and shapes like rod,
spiral, spike, helical).
what are the main types of capsid symmetry
- Helical shape
- Icosahedral shape
- Rod shaped
- Complex shape
Provide an example of a virus with helical symmetry
• Helical shape: ssRNA spiral or coiled shaped viruses. E.g. Tobacco Mosaic virus (TMV), influenza viruses, measles, some bacteriophages.
Provide an example of a virus with rod-shaped symmetry
• Rod-shaped viruses: Tobacco rattle virus (2 unequal RNAs).
Provide an example of a virus with filamentous symmetry
• Filamentous: some bacteriophages have either ssDNA or dsDNA.
Provide an example of a virus with icosahedral symmetry
• Icosahedral shape: Polyhedron shape. E.g. herpes simplex virus,
poliovirus, parvovirus.
Provide an example of a virus with complex symmetry
• Complex shaped viruses: smallpox and bacteriophages.
Provide an overview of helical symmetry
• Helical shaped capsids are found in many ssRNA viruses.
• The RNA is coiled in the shape of an helix and many copies of the
same protein are arranged around the coil
provide an overview of icosahedral symmetry
• Viruses with icosahedral symmetry consist of a shell made from protein molecules and arranged in the form of a scaffold to form a polyhedron. • The virus genome have less contact with the capsid proteins compared to helical-shaped viruses.
A virus icosahedron has five-, three, and two-fold axis of rotational
symmetry
What are virus capsomeres and provide an example
• Are the building blocks of a virus capsid arranged from discrete structures. • Each capsomere is usually made up of many identical protein molecules. • For example, the capsids of the papiloviruses are built from 72 identical capsomeres. • Note that the capsids of some viruses can also be constructed from more than one type of capsomere; E.g. Herpes viruses and Adenoviruses
Provide an overview on what a virion envelope is
(Membranes)
• Viruses may have an extra layer of protection of the capsid called an Envelop.
• Envelop is a lipid-protein structure which surrounds the capsid and the genetic material (nucleic acid) inside known as a Nucleocapsid.
• Although, the envelop may be positioned in the capsid for some viruses.
• Majority of the enveloped viruses are mostly spherical or nearly spherical
Provie a few examples of viruses wiht envelopes
Many viruses infecting animals possess envelops with helical
configuration such a the influenza virus, while a good number have
icosahedral shape (E.g. Herpes viruses).
• Fewer enveloped viruses infect plants (potato yellow dwarf virus),
while infection is rear among prokaryotes [Pseudomonas phage
φ(Phi) 6]
Provide an overview of complex viruses
- Have both the helical and icosahedral symmetry.
- Most have a icosahedral head and a helical tail attached at one of the vertices.
- The tail is attached to the head through a protein structure referred to as a Connector or Portal.
- The connector has a powerful motor that drives the virus DNA into the young virus head during assembly.
- The tail may be long (Phage λ) or short (Phage T7).
- Some specialized structures may be attached to the tail (fibres and/or base plate).
- The head houses the genome of the virus made up of dsDNA.
- Examples are the bacteriophages with complex architecture are T7 and Phage λ.
Overview of viral classification and nomenclature
• Defined viral characteristics are required prior to placing them in
specific orders, family, subfamily and genus while species grouping is
based on a number of similar characteristics.
• Thus, member of a virus species may vary in;
- Strain
- Serotypes: differences in virus antigen reaction to antibodies
- Genotype: differences in a virus gene sequence
Virus classification based on taxonomy hierarchy
- Order (ending in virales)
- Family (ending in viridae)
- Subfamily (ending in virinae)
- Genus (ending in virus)
- Species (ending in virus)
- Subspecies (may end in a number)
- strain
Modern virus taxonomy and nomenclature
aming of some virus taxonomic groups incorporated the old
name together with the taxonomic suffix. E.g. the generic and
family name for picornaviruses (small viruses) were derived by
placing the suffix (virales) and (viridae) respectively, in place of
the word virus
look at table 4 (purple) in the review slide set
Genetic classification of viruses
• A virus is made up of genetic material which is either DNA or RNA.
• This differentiates viruses from cellular organisms whose genetic unit is a DNA.
• Viruses can be divided into four groups of based on the number of strand in its genome.
1. double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)
2. single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)
3. single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)
4. double-stranded RNA (dsRNA
The genetic approach as suggested byDavid Baltimore
- DNA virus
- RNA virus
- Reverse-Transcribing Viruses
• seven classes of viruses exist based on: - type of genome
- the way in which the genome is transcribed and replicate
What is Baltimore classification based on?
Viral genome replication
• Due to the unique mode of virus transcription among
dsDNA and ssRNA gene groups, the four groups of
viruses can be subdivided into seven.
• This discovery was made by David Baltimore and now
named after him.
• He developed the system for classifying viruses based
on genome type and was named Baltimore method
for virus classification.
• This classification places virus into classes I - VII
What is the role of a capsid
• Capsid protects the nucleic acid when the virus is outside the host
cell.
• Helps bind to a suitable host cell surface receptors using spike
proteins on an envelop (if present) or transfer it’s genetic material
into host cell through endocytosis if it’s a naked virus (that is no
envelop).
• E.g. Poxvirus (complex virus) lacks a typical capsid and are covered by
a dense layer of lipoprotein
What is the role of genetic material in viruses
• Carries gene necessary to invade host cells.
• Note that the number of genes varies for each virus (few to hundreds).
• Redirect or manipulate host cell machinery into producing viral cells.
• Viruses lack protein synthesizing machinery. However, they contain
parts needed to evade host cells and manipulate the cell replicating
machinery into producing more copies of the virus rather than normal
cellular proteins
What are the basic steps of virus genome replication
- Attachment of virion to suitable host cell.
- Entry of virus into the cell
- Transcription of virus genes into mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules.
- Translation of virus mRNA into virus proteins.
- Genome replication
- Assembly of virus proteins and genomes into new virions.
- Exit of virions from host infected cells.
Note: not all viruses undergo all seven steps above, some viruses may need extra steps while some steps may occur concurrently in some viruses in which case steps 3-7 may occur at the same time