Dugga 3 - Antiviral Flashcards
What is zoonoses?
Viruses that can be transmitted to humans from animals or insects
What is SARS
Servere acute respiratory syndrome
Can viruses contain both RNA and DNA?
No, only either one. We can have DNA viruses and RNA viruses.
What defines a positive strand?
The base sequence of the RNA strand in the virus is identical to viral mRNA.
What defines a negative strand?
The base sequence of the RNA strand in the virus is comprementary to viral mRNA.
What is the purpose of the capsid?
Protect the nucleic acid. The capsid is made up out of protomers.
Nucleocapsid
Capsid + viral nucleic acid + sometimes RNA-dependent dNA polymeras or other enzymes crucial to its replication.
What is a virion?
The complete structure of the virus e.i the nucleocapsid + viral proteins and possible membranous layers
What is the size of a virion?
10-400 nm
Describe the stages of the life cycle of a virus
- Adsorption: a molecule on the virion binds to a protein (glycoproteins) or carbohydrate present on the host cell.
- Penetration and uncoating: injection of only the nucleic acid or the whole virion (endocytosis , fusion with lysosomes)
- Replication and transcription. late or early viral genes, different pathways. Early genes take over the host cell and the viral DNA or RNA is synthesised.
- Assembly of nucleocapsids: Late genes directs synthesis of capsid proteins that lead to self assembly of the capsid.
- Viron release: naked virons are released by cell lysis. viruses with envelopes are usually released via budding
What is subunit vaccines?
Fragments of the virus is presented to our immune system, this fragment may display a characteristic antigene.
What makes it difficult to develop a virus for HIV?
- Rapid gene mutation in HIV viruses results in constant changes to the amino acid composition og glycoproteins normally present on the viral surface
- AIDS patients have a compromised immune system that vaccination is non effective
Why is the drug targets for viral infections fewer than for bacterial infections?
The virion/virus is hidden within the bodies own cells and uses their fucntions for reproduction/multiplication. Attacking the virus but not the bodies own cells i hard.
What are some early antiviral drugs?
Idoxuridine
Vidrarabine
Amantadine
What is the reason for the development of antiviral drugs?
- AIDS pandemic
- Viral genomic research: Increased understanding of viral infectious mechanisms
What cells does HIV target?
T-cells
What are characteristics of proteins that are good drug targets for antiviral drugs?
- Important for life cycle, especially in the early stages
- Little resemblance to human proteins
- Common to a variety of different viruses
- Have a specific region that is identical in its amino acid composition
-
Is it true that many drugs show broad activity against both DNA and RNA viruses?
No. Antiviral drugs used against DNA viruses and Antiviral drugs used against RNA viruses are quite different.
What is one inhibitor drug of viral DNA polymerase?
Aciclovir - prodrug, once phosphorylated (by thymidine kinase) in the body it mimics nucleotide triphosphates. Aciclovir triphosephate prevents DNA replication in two ways:
- Similar to the normal deoxyguanosine triphosphate bulding block but has an incomplete sugar. Act as an DNA polymerase inhibitor.
- Doesn’t inhibit DNA polymerase but as the sugar unit is incomplete and lacks a hydroxide group in position 3 the nucleic acid chain cannot be extended further making the Aciclovir a CHAIN TERMINATOR
Why is Aciclovir not inhibiting DNA polymerase in the host cell?
- The phosphorylation of Aciclovir is much more favored in virion. The viral thymidine kinase is a hundred times more effective at converting Aciclovir into its monophosphate than host cell thymidine kinase. In the host cell Aciclovir is left as the prodrug.
- Uptake of Aciclovir is selective in infected host cells.
- Aciclovir triphosphate shows a 50fold affinity selective action against viral DNA polymerases compared to cellular.
What is a con of Aciclovir?
Poorly oral bioactivity.
How is valaciclovir better than aciclovir?
Better oral bioactivity. Aciclovir is transported from the gut via active transport. The L-valine in valaciclovir is probably better att interact with the transport proteins.
Some virions are immune to the strategy of aciclovir, why?
Lack viral thymidine kinases, the prodrug is never initially phosporylated.
How does cidofovir work?
Already has a ekvivalent phosphate group (active), phosphomethylene, cellular kinase can now phosphorylate further.
thymidine kinases is only required for the first of the phosphorylation of aciclovir, true or false?
true
Why is idoxuridine more toxic then aciclovir?
Becuase it is phosphorylated equally well by viral and cellular thymidine kinases ==> attacks both cells.
What is one inhibitor of DNA terminase complex?
Letermovir
What is the roles of DNA terminase complex?
Processing and packaging of viral DNA
- catalyses concatemeres splitting
- Assist translocation of the genome into the viral capsid