Lecture 30: Virology V Flashcards
Name the 6 steps of the infectious cycle.
- Attachment/absorption
- Penetration
- Uncoating
- Biosynthesis
- Assembly/maturation
- Release
What are the two broad phases of the viral infection cycle?
The early phase and the late phase.
What steps are considered part of the early phase of the viral infection cycle?
Attachment, penetration, uncoating, delivery of the genome to the nucleus (if needed), replication of the genome. It also includes expression of early proteins, which are needed to take control of host cells and for viral genome replication.
What steps are considered part of the late phase of the viral infection cycle?
It includes the virus assembly and release and well as the production of late proteins, which are structural, such as those forming the capsid.
What do viruses require for the attachment step to be successful and why?
Viruses require specific receptors on the surface of the host cell for its surface proteins to bind to. This is because viruses cannot diffuse passively through cell membranes.
What type of viral proteins can allow for attachment to a host cell?
Either the capsid proteins in the case of naked viruses or the glycoprotein spikes in the case of envelope viruses.
How can host cells resist attachment of a virus?
If they don’t have receptors for the viral proteins to bind to, they are resistant to infection.
What are the 2 possible modes of penetration for enveloped viruses?
They can either enter by fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane or by endocytosis.
What are the 2 possible modes of penetration for naked viruses?
They can inject their genome into host cells (direct penetration) or enter by endocytosis.
For what types of penetration is uncoating necessary?
For entry via membrane fusion or endocytosis.
What is uncoating?
It is the disassembly of the viral capsid.
Explain how uncoating works when the virus enters via endocytosis.
Once the virus enters and reaches the endosome, the content of the endosome is acidified via a proton pump in the membrane. The low pH causes a disassembly of the capid components, allowing for extrusion of the viral genome into the cytosol.
What is the pH of the early and late endosome during uncoating?
< 6.2, < 5.3
What steps are included in the notion of viral entry?
Viral entry includes the earliest stages of infection, including attachment, penetration, and uncoating.
Describe the biosynthesis step for DNA viruses (incl. different groups).
Once the genome is in the nucleus, the viral proteins will be expressed and the viral genome will be replicated. For group 1 viruses, this means that the DNA will be replicated by cellular DNA polymerases, and late proteins will be made to encapsidate the genome. For group 2, it is similar (see Baltimore classification)
Describe the biosynthesis step for RNA viruses.
Once the genome is in the cytoplasm, the RNA genome is replicated and late proteins are made for encapsidation. See Baltimore classification for group specificities.
Describe the biosynthesis step for retroviruses.
Depending on the group, its RNA or DNA genome gets most replicated and is used to generate capsid proteins.
Name 2 different modes of assembly and release for viruses. Which types of viruses use each?
By cell lysis and by budding. Cell lysis is used by nonenveloped viruses, while budding is used by enveloped viruses.
What is assembly and release by cell lysis?
Nonenveloped viruses assemble in the cytoplasm or nucleus and are released by cellular lysis.