Lecture 9 - Viral genetics 3 Flashcards
What mechanism is used in the replication of lambda phage in the lytic pathway?
The rolling circle mechanism
What are examples of (-) strand RNA viruses of animals?
- includes rabies, influenza and Ebola
Describe what the (-) strand does
the (-) strand encodes the genome but it can’t directly act as the mRNA
Describe the properties rabies
- a virus RNA replicas is essential and is carried by the virion
- 2 distinct classes of RNA are transcribed
How is influenza different from polio?
Influenza - (-) strand
Polio - (+) strand
How is influenza different from rabies?
influenza is segmented
the (-) strand RNA genome is segmented
How many linear ssRNA molecules does influenza?
8
How does the RNA in influenza replicate?
RNA us replicated from (-) to (+) to (-) in the host nucleus
How does influenza replicate?
- the viral nucleic acid replicates in the host nucleus
- the overall pattern of viral genomic RNA synthesis resembles that of rabies
- transcription results in viral mRNAs with 5’ caps
- primers are cut from the 5’ ends of newly synthesised host mRNAs by the viral endonuclease
- polyA tails are added
- the viral mRNA moves to the cytoplasm for translation
What are the 2 consequences of changes in the genome of influenza?
- antigenic drift
- antigenic shift
What is antigenic drift?
- the surface proteins are the main immunogenic regions of the virus
- antigenic drift arises from mutations in the genes for surface proteins
- an annual vaccination, mimicking the surface protein epitopes, is required
What is antigenic shift?
- in antigenic drift portions of the RNA genome from 2 genetically distinct stains, both infecting cells are re-assorted
- this leads to a significantly different combination of surface proteins
- antigenic shift is the origin of pandemics & epidemics
What is a feature of influenza that arises because of the segmented genome?
antigenic shift
What is HIV?
a retrovirus, with a genome that has 2 strands of ssRNA (+). The genome is replicated through a DNA intermediate
What does HIV require?
reverse transcriptase - the virus tries to convert its RNA into DNA