HIV Virology

Question 1

HIV virus structure

Answer 1

ssRNA+ enveloped

Question 2

Important genes and what they encode for (HIV)

Answer 2

gag- capsid, matrix, nucleocapsid
pol - RT, protease, integrase, ribonuclease
env- envelope glycoproteins

Question 3

Important thing about HIV genome

Answer 3

Utilizes alternative splicing very effectively

Question 4

Gp120

Answer 4

Makes intial contact

Question 5

CXCR4 and CCR5

Answer 5

Important for binding…mutants of these are less suscpetible to infection

Question 6

Gp41

Answer 6

Resposbile for fusion of envelope to target cell

Question 7

Reverse transcriptase

Answer 7

DNA synthesis

Question 8

Integrase

Answer 8

Integration into the genome

Question 9

Protease

Answer 9

Important for maturation of produced polypeptides…cleaved gag-pol precursor

Question 10

Significance of error prone RT

Answer 10

Vairation in the virus…difficult to develpo mech to control

Question 11

HIV also increases

Answer 11

Transcriptional rate of host cell…means more viral proteins produced

Question 12

Once incorporated into the genome, genome used to create

Answer 12

More viral RNA and gag-pol precursor

Question 13

RT-PCR

Answer 13

Used to monitor viral load
Measures HIV directly (not AB because more variation in ABs)
Take RNA to DNA to PCR

Question 14

Life cycle summarized

Answer 14

Cell attaches and enters…ssRNA+ is converted to DNA using RT…integrated into host cell DNA…DNA used to make more viral proteins and more viral ssRNA to be packed to leave…