Viruses (HL) Flashcards
Why are viruses not living things?
No cells, dependent on host cells, no growth, can’t replicate independently, no independent metabolism
Define obligate intracellular parasites
Viruses are struct molecular parasites — they must be infect cells in order to reproduce
Define virion
Outside the host
Differentiate virions, viruses and viroids
Virions:
- outside the host; infectious; nucleic acid and protein coat
Viroid:
- smaller virus; only RNA; plant cells only
Virus:
- inside the host; nucleic acid and protein coat
(general: viruses)
How do viruses vary
- size
- shape
- genetic material type
- genes present
- enveloping
What are the characteristics of those descended from luca
proteins, nucleic acids
Give the multiple possible evolutionary origins of viruses
regressive hypo, progressive, and virus-first
What are the common structures ampong all viruses
- nucleic acid
- capsid: protein coat
What are the features common to all viruses? [7]
- intracellular parasites
- small
- fixed in size
- nucleic acid
- capsid
- no cytoplasm
- no or few enzymes
Viruses vary in…
- size
- shape
- genetic material
- genes present
- enveloping
How are viruses’ genetic material (?) classified?
1.) RNA or DNA
2.) single or dble stranded
3.) linear or circular
Define zoonosis
Disease of animals to humans
Define convergent evolution
Evolving from different ancestors acquire similarities between one another
Why are viruses said to go through convergent evolution?
Because they are highly diverse
Why do we say that viruses may not be part of LUCA?
Convergent evolution
Outline the missions of viral genomes
1.) Make more virus nucleic acid
2.) More virus proteins
3.) Assemble new virus molecules
Define viral genome
composed of DNA or RNA in a virus
Outline the three types of viral nucleic acids
1.) Positive sense
2.) Negative sense
3.) Retrovirus
Describe positive sense RNA
Viral RNA -> protein
Describe negative sense DNA
DNA -> RNA -> protein
(transcription first then translation)
Describe retroviruses RNA
- “retro”: going back
- RNA -> DNA [reverse transcriptase]
- Viral DNA injected into cell’s DNA
- Carries out the functions of the viral genome
- WBCs cannot detect because of the cell DNA
- can attack WBC (HIV)
Outline the three possible structures of capsids
1.) Helical
2.) Polyhedral/Icosahedral
3.) Complex
Describe virus envelopes or “enveloping”
- Lipid bilayer
- from the host cell due to “budding” (exocytosis)
- provides additional protection
- round things: spikes;
- spikes used to know which receptor proteins are compatible.
Do all viruses have enveloping?
No
- some say it might be hereditary if the envelope is in the genetic material (??)
How do viruses without an envelope exit the host cell?
- BY lysis
- they make the cell burst sp they could exit
- therefore, more resistant to extreme pH, dryness and disinfectants
Describe the example virus of bacteriophage lambda
- due to feces consumption
How do viruses infect host cells?
- They attach to compatible recepor proteins of the host cell
- inject their nucleic acids
Describe SARS-CoV 2
Describe HIV
Due to excessive amt of sexual partners (?)