Viruses Flashcards
what does obligate mean?
relies on the host cell for life
what does the host cell provide for the virus?
nucleotides, ribosomes and amino acids, ATP and Golgi and the ER
what do viruses use the provided nucleotides for?
nucleic acid production
what do viruses use the provided golgi and ER for?
protein processing
what are the catagories of viruses?
nucleic acid either RNA/DNA, capsid symmetry, presence of envelope and the genome characteristics
what are the different structures of capsid symmetry?
helical, icosahedral or complex
what are the main viral characteristics?
nucleic acid, protein coat, maybe an envelope or capsule
what is a nucleocapsid?
the capsid and the nucleic acid
what are capsomers?
the proteins that make up the capsid, they form the capsid spontaneously
what shapes can the capsid have?
polyhedral or helical
what is the arrangement of a nucleocapsid?
highly symmetrical, composed of one protein and capsid is formed via self-assembly by capsomeres
what is a bacteriophage?
viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria
why are bacteriophages bad for bacteria?
highly virulent
what is a bacteriophage classified by?
nucleic acid type and shape
what are the physical features of a bacteriophage?
head, collar, tail and tail pins, tail fibres
how many steps in a bacteriophage life cycle? what are they?
5; attachment, penetration, synthesis of nucleic acid, assembly, lysis
how are bacteriophages specific?
infect one species only
how do bacteriophages attach to host cells?
viruses have attachment proteins on their surface which attaches to specific receptors on the host cell surface
what are the receptors that the virus attaches too?
essential proteins on the surface of the host cell
what are two examples of bacteriophages?
T4 and lambda
what is different about the structure of lambda?
no tail pins or tail fibres
what is the difference between lambda and T4?
lambda is temperate yet T4 is virulent
what are the two life cycles of lambda?
lytic and lysogenic
what is the lytic cycle?
bacteria genome is destroyed and the cell becomes a factory for making bacteriophages
what is the lysogenic cycle?
DNA of the virus gets inserted into the bacterial genome so it becomes a prophage, which is passed on to future generations
how can a lysogenic cycle turn into a lytic cycle?
a prophage exits the bacterial chromosome