Intro To Viruses Flashcards
What is viral replication?
Virus processes new genomes
What are the special cases of viral replication?
Special cases require specific viral enzymes:
- RNA dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase)
- RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RNA replicase)
What factors define a virus’ tropism?
- the viral glycoproteins (VAP) integrated in the outer coat: either the capsid or the envelope that target receptors are acting as doors on the surface of the host cells(susceptibility)
- Presence of transcription factors allowing expression of viral genes
- Presence of cell enzyme pathways to produce viral proteins is known as “permissivity”
What are viral tropisms?
The ability of a virus to infect a particular host
Might be limited to a single organ, tissue, specialized cell type or range of different organs and tissues
What are the stages in viral synthesis and replication?
- Attachment- to specific host cell receptors: this binding determines what cell can be infected(tropism)
- Penetration
- Uncoating(release of nucleic acid)
- Macro molecular Synthesis
-Early mRNA and protein synthesis:
Proteins to shut off host cell
Proteins to replicate viral genome(if needed) - Postranslational modification of proteins
- Assembly of new virus particles
- Release(lysis of the cell or budding out)
What are the steps in viral penetration and uncoating?
- Injection of the viral genome
- Fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane followed by release of viral genome
- Engulfment of the viral capsid by endocytosis
Differentiate early proteins and late proteins
Early proteins- synthesized early in viral life cycle after uncoating. Also responsible for the replica action of nucleic acid
Late proteins- participate in the formation of viral caspomeres like structural proteins
Briefly state how viral caspids formation
Caspid formation follows a self-assembly mechanism in most of the cases
Some viruses may use chaperones to fold the caspomeres
Briefly state how a viral envelope is formed
During viral release by exocytosis the viral caspids will grab cellular membrane in a form of envelope which is laced with viral proteins
How are virions released from the host cell?
- cell lysis
- Budding from the plasma membrane
Under what circumstances are required for viral multiplication and cultivation ?
Cultivation is only possible in living cells, plants or animals
Describe bacteriophages growing on live bacterial culture
- Bacteriophage+ host bacteria+ melted agar
- Plaque formation is used for phage/virus counting
- PFU(Plaque forming units) counting
- Grown on solid bacterial culture or suspension
What benefits/circumstances permit/encourage viral growth in animals?
- mice, rabbits, guinea pig
- Expensive and ethically controversial
- used in research
What circumstances encourage animal viral growth in embryonated eggs?
- Convenient and inexpensive
- The viral suspension is injected into the fluid of the egg
- Viral growth is detected by death of the embryo or by lesion on the egg membrane
- This is the most common way for production of viral vaccines
What are the types of cell cultures?
Primary cell cultures
Diploid cell strain
Continuous cell line
What is the benefit of cell culture in viral growth compared to animal or egg?
More convenient than animal or egg
How are cell cultures prepared?
Prepared from animal tissues treated with enzyme in order to separate the individual cells
Viral infection leads to cytopathic effect (CPE) and plaque formation
Describe cell behavior in cell culture
- cell culture uses homogenous collection of cells
- The cells are grown as a suspension in solution/medium complimented with nutrients and growth factors
- The cells can also adhere to glass/plastic surface in a form of mono layer
What is a primary cell culture?
- Heterogenous-many cell types
- Closest to animal/tissue/organ
- Technically challenging
Describe the cell culture -Diploid cell strain
- relatively homogenous-fewer cell types
- Further from animal
- Technically less hassle than primary cells
Describe the cell culture-continuous cell line
- Easy to maintain in a suspension or as a mono layer
- Genetically weird-furthest from the primary source
- Immortal
- Most homogenous type
What are possible effects of a virus on a host cell?
- Transformation into a tumor and tumor cell division
- death of cell and release of virus
- Slow release of virus from host cell without cell death
- Causes cell fusion
- Virus present but not replicating(latent infection) which may revert to lytic reaction
Name the 4 physical methods of virus detection and quantification
- Electron microscopy
- Hemmagglutination and hemagglatunation
- Immunoassay
- PCR
Describe electron microscopy as a viral detection and quantification method
A physical method which requires high concentrations and it’s cumbersome and slow
Describe Hemagglutination and hemagglutinatuon as a method of viral detection and quantification
A physical method, fast and easy but is generally not applicable
Describe immunoassay as a viral detection and quantification method
Fast, easy, reliable and widely applicable
Describe PCR as a viral identification and qualification method
Fast, extremely sensitive, and can be quantitative
What is a bacteriophage?
A virus that infects and replicated within bacteria and Archea