Lec 12: Retroviruses Flashcards
Retrovirus classes =
Class VI & VII
The discovery of retroviruses challenged
the traditional central dogma.
DNA –> RNA –> Protein
Reverse transcription happens not only in…
but also in…
…RNA viruses,
…DNA viruses!
HIVs are
retroviruses
Retroviruses may cause
cancer
Retreovirus infection has been found in
all classes of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, birds and mammals.
Endogenous retroviruses:
as normal genetic elements in their chromosomal DNA
Exogenous retroviruses:
horizontally-transmitted infectious RNA-containing viruses which are transmitted from human-to-human (e.g. HIV and human T cell leukemia virus, HTLV)
In general, endogenous human retroviruses are
not pathogenic and many of them are not complete viruses
The human genome contains between 100–1,000 copies of…
However, some…
…endogenous viruses and many of them have become pseudogenes or have various defects
…are complete viruses and the genes of some are transcribed and make virus-encoded proteins
In a latent herpesvirus infection…
multiple genome is switched off during latency, but a few regions are transcribed and a few RNAs are synthesized; some viruses also synthesize a few proteins.
No virus proteins are required to maintain
latency in cells that do not divide, so none are produced in neurons latently infected with HSV-1.
Virus RNAs synthesized during latency are known as
latency associated transcripts (LATs).
The LATs undergo…
the greater the degree to which the host is…
…splicing, and at least one of them plays a role in inhibiting apoptosis, thereby ensuring the survival of the neurone with its latent HSV-1 infection.
…immunocompromised, the greater the likelihood of reactivation.
latency associated transcripts (LATs) =
Virus RNAs synthesized during latency
Retroviruses exist in 2 forms:
- ) RNA-containing virions which bud from a producing cell and can infect another cell,
- ) DNA proviruses which may be active or silent.
Proviruses exist…
…naturally in most vertebrates, as well as some non-vertebrates, and are present in the germ line as “normal” genes.
Retrovirus virion contains…
present as…
…2 copies of the RNA genome
(t.f. virion = diploid)
…a dimer, formed by base pairing between complementary sequences
tRNAs from ____ ____ function as _______.
host cells
primers
cool retrovirus complex
kissing-loop complex
A number of protein species are…
The most abundant protein is…
Other proteins,…
…associated with the RNA
…the nucleocapsid (NC) protein, which coats the RNA.
…present in much smaller amounts, have enzyme activities.
The genes encoding the retrovirus proteins are organized in…
3 major regions of the genome:
- ) gag (group-specific antigen) = internal structural proteins.
- ) pol (polymerase) = enzymes
- ) env (envelope) = envelope proteins.
Retrovirus Attachment and entry:
mostly by…
some by…
mostly by = fusion
some by = endocytosis
Retrovirus Attachment and entry 2 steps:
- ) The virion contents released into the cytoplasm loses some proteins.
- ) The contents undergo modification to form a reverse transcription complex.