Viral Structure and Function

Question 1

What are the four characteristics of classical virus classification?

Answer 1

(1) DNA or RNA; (2) symmetry of the capsid; (3) naked or enveloped; and (4) dimensions of the virion capsid.

Question 2

In contrast, the Baltimore system uses _________ to classify viruses.

Answer 2

the genetic makeup of viruses

Question 3

What differentiates the plus from the minus strand?

Answer 3

Plus strand is ready to be translated in the ribosome

Question 4

Describe the chemical makeup of viral envelopes.

Answer 4

Lipid bilayers acquired during viral assembly that have embedded glycoproteins.

Question 5

By what two ways can viruses egress from a cell?

Answer 5

Cell lysis or membrane budding (which often results in a virion encapsulated by a part of the cell’s membrane)

Question 6

What happens during the eclipse period and the latency period?

Answer 6

The eclipse period is characterized by the virus entering a cell and breaking down; no virions are detected intracellularly or extracellularly. The latency period is the period in which the virus builds up within the cells but have yet to be detected outside the cells.

Question 7

Viruses generally attach to _________.

Answer 7

membrane proteins (which are more cell-specific) and carbohydrates

Question 8

With DNA, the negative strand serves as the _________, while in RNA the positive strand _______.

Answer 8

template; can be translated