Viruses Flashcards
What are some of the human diseases caused by viruses?
AIDS Influenza Cervical Cancer Measles Diarrhoea Haemorrhagic fever Common Cold Hepatitis Rabies Cold sores
What is the name given to viruses that can infect bacteria?
Bacteriophage
What are the general properties of Viruses?
- Obligate intracellular parasite
- Replicate with host cell only
- unable to grow on synthetic media
- Host specific (cell specific - tissue tropism)
- Size 10-300 or 400nm
- Genetic material either DNA or RNA (not both)
What are the typical structures of a virion?
- Spikes (projections)
- Envelope (membrane)
- Nucleic acid
- Capsomeres (capsid subunits)
- Capsid (protein coat)
What are the two types of proteins that make up a virus?
- Structural Proteins
- Non-structural proteins
What is the function Structural proteins?
- Make up the viral structure (Capsids which are made up of capsomeres)
- Spikes protruding through lipid envelope may have stabilizing membrane under lipid
- Facilitate entry into host cell
- Protect viral nucleic acid
- Core associated with nucleic acid
What is the function of Non-Structural Proteins?
- Coded for the viral genome
- Not part of the virion, however some may be packaged in virion.
- Enzymes needed for replication.
What are the three Viral symmetry structures a virus can be in?
- Icosahedral symmetry (cubic)
- Helical Symmetry
- Complex Symmetry
What are the characteristics of Icosahedral symmetry?
- Solid regular sides
- 20 equal triangular sides
- Greatest number of capsomeres packed in a regular fashion
- All DNA animal viruses except poxvirus and some RNA virus.
What are the characteristics of Helical symmetry?
- Spiral structure
- Capsomeres arranged in a stair case fashion
- Always contained within a lipoprotein envelope
- Glycoprotein spikes through lipid layer, connected to underlying protein by matrix (M) protein
- ssRNA viruses: influenza, parainfluenza and rabies.
What are the characteristics of Complex symmetry?
- Virus with large genomes (poxvirus)
- Neither isocahedral or helical
How do we classify viruses?
By the Baltimore Scheme (classes 1 to 7) based on their nucleic acids.
What is Class 1 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
A double stranded DNA (dsDNA)
What is Class 2 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
A Single Stranded DNA (ssDNA)
What is Class 3 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
double stranded segmented RNA (dsRNA)
What is Class 4 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
single stranded RNA (ssRNA) Positive sense
What is Class 5 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
single stranded RNA (ssRNA) negative sense
What is Class 6 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
ssRNA positive sense with dsDNA intermediate before replication (retroviruses)
What is Class 7 virus according to the Baltimore Scheme?
dsDNA with positive sense, part ssDNA with ssRNA intermediate (reversviruses)
What does “part ssDNA” mean in terms of reversviruses?
The SSDNA has one strand full length and the other length is shorter
What forms can Viral Nucleic Acids come in?
- RNA or DNA
- SS or ds DNA
- Single molecule or segmented
- Linear or Circular
- Large or small
- packed inside or integrated unto host DNA
What class is HIV and why?
HIV is a class 6 virus because the dsDNA intermediate helps this ssRNA virus to integrate itself into the host DNA before it replicates.
In terms of Viral Nomenclature, what are the characteristics of naming a Family of Viruses and how do we write them?
Families share overall genome organisation, structure and replication strategy.
When writing the family of a virus:
- Family names are italicized and end in the suffix -viridae
- Some virus families have subfamily names italicized with suffix -virinae
- Some texts use English version of family names (e.g. picornoviridae become picornoviruses)
In terms of Viral Nomenclature, what are the characteristics of naming a Genera of Viruses and how do we write them?
Genera of viruses chare genome organization, structure and size
When writing the genera:
- Names are italicised and end in the suffix -virus
In terms of Viral Nomenclature, what are the characteristics of naming the species of Viruses and how do we write them?
Species are based on nucleic acid sequence identity within a genera.
When writing the species:
- Names are not well organised and may be in numbers (e.g. Human papillomavirus 16)
How do Viruses replicate?
- They code for own enzymes or host enzymes to transcribe and replicate virus genome.
- They also use the hosts’ synthetic machinery (ribosomes) for protein production.
Can viruses produce protein?
No. They can only code for it in their genome and then use the host cell ribosome for protein production.
How are viruses defined?
By the type of nucleic acid and their replication mode (i.e. replication of mRNA)
Where does virus replication take place?
Inside the host cell with host producing new viral particles.
what effects on the host cell does virus replication have?
Produces Cytopathic effect due to the virus hijacking the ribosomes to make protein for itself, meaning that the host cell stops making own protein having a pathological effect on the cell.
What is the difference between the lytic and lysogenic life cycles of viruses?
Lytic cycle (virulent) reproduce/lyse or bud out of the host cell causing lysis (cell death)
Lysogenic cycle (temperate) is when they integrate into the host cell genome (chromosome) and they stay there. Can either be prophage or provirus: Prophage is integration into host cell, provirus (HIV) is when it makes copies of itself first then it integrates into host DNA (may then come out of lysogeny and become lytic)
What are the stages of replication?
- Attachment - via specific receptors on host cell membrane (MUST DO THIS)
- Penetration - once inside it “uncoats” protein shell
- Replication of viral genome
- Production of late viral proteins (structural)
- Assembly of the progeny virions (maturation)
- Release of virions from cell (budding or lysis) - if host cell is enveloped then budding occurs, if it’s naked then cell lysis.
Describe a Baltimore Class 1 virus (How it works).
Class 1 is a dsDNA
- Similar to transcription of host genome
- Usually host DNA-dependant RNA polymerase
- Early and late viral mRNA transcribed from either strand.
- Translated to early and late viral proteins respectively (early proteins from parent virus, late from replicated DNA)
Describe a Baltimore Class 2 virus (How it works).
Class 2 is a ssDNA:
- Host DNA polymerase produce copy of ssDNA which then binds to form dsDNA.
- Transcription follows as for dsDNA virus
- Polarity of DNA packaged is of little importance (i.e. pos and neg DNA doesn’t matter because it makes a copy of itself and behaves like dsDNA).