STRUCTURE & FUNCTION OF VIRUSES

Question 1

what are viruses ?

Answer 1

viruses are acellular (not cells) and non living. Viruses consist of :
. genetic material made of RNA & DNA
. attachment protein
. reverse transcriptase
. protein capsid

Question 2

how do attachment proteins determine which host cells the virus will attach too ?

Answer 2

different viruses have different attachment proteins and therefore can only bind to specific host cells that have the correct receptor protein to bind too.

Question 3

how does virus replication occur ?

Answer 3

1) The virus uses its attachment proteins to bind to the complementary receptor proteins on the host cells surface.
2) The virus then injects its genetic material into the host cell.
3) The host cell then uses this genetic material to produce new viral proteins
4) the new viral proteins are then released by either the host cell bursting or budding which is when they take a section of the membrane with them.

Question 4

explain the structures and their functions in a virus

Answer 4

Viruses consist of :
. reverse transcriptase: needed for virus replication
. attachment protein : allow virus to attach to host cell by binding to host cells receptors.
. core : contain genetic material consisting of RNA AND DNA.
. the attachment protein consist of a glycoprotein on its tip
. protein capsid
. matrix
. lipid envelope