virus flashcards
(49 cards)
What is a virion?
A complete viral particle, including a nucleic acid and a capsid, outside of a cell.
How do RNA animal viruses synthesize within their host cells?
RNA viruses are replicated and assembled in the cytoplasm. Some have positive sense strands and some have negative sense strands.
What is a retrovirus?
It referes to a group of RNA viruses that insert a DNA copy of their genome into the host cell in order to replicate, e.g., HIV.
What are the living characteristics of viruses?
* Nucleic acids
* Reproduction
* Respond to stimuli
* Evolve
Describe endocytosis in reference to animal viruses’ entrance into host cells
* Virus recognizes and attaches to the host membrane with spikes.
* This connection stimulates host to endocytize the virus.
* Once inside, uncoating occurs releasing nucleic acid into cytoplasm.
What happens during the ‘lysis’ stage duirng bacteriophage replication.
Lysozyme is used to lyse the host bacterial cells, this allows viruses to escape.
What are some methods for handeling piron contamination?
* Normal cooking or sterilization procedures do not deactivate prions, though incineration or autoclaving under harsh conditions can work.
* Enzymes have now been employed to help disinfect prion contaminated medicalm equipment.
What happens during ‘synthesis’ phase of bacteriophage replication?
* The bacterial cell replicate viral DNA.
* Protein synthesis is takes place making capsids, proteins, and nuclease.
* Nuclease destroys bacterial DNA so host has only viral DNA.
What are the steps in the Lysogenic replication of bacteriophages?
* Attachment
* Entry
* Lysogeny
* Induction
* Synthesis
* Assembly
* Release by lysis
What happens during the ‘Induction’ phase of the lysogenic cycle for bacteriophages?
Due to environmental stimulus the prophage comes out of bacterial DNA, takes over the cell, and the lytic phase of the cycle begins.
What is a Nucleocapsid?
the capsid of a virus with the enclosed nucleic acid
What is host range in reference to viruses?
Because viruses need an exact fit between virus spikes and cell receptors, host range refers to the number/type of cells a virus can infect
What are bacteriophages?
Bacteriophages are viruses that attack bacteria.
When talking about viruses, what is latency
Latency refers to stages of dormancy in which viruses have oscillating patterns of activity and inactivity. This is found only in some viruses such as chicken pox or herpes
What is a virus?
A minuscule, acellular, infectious agent usually having one or several pieces of nucleic acid—either DNA or RNA
What are capsomeres?
The proteinaceous subunits that make up the capsid of a virus
What are prions?
An infectious agent that lacks instructional nucleic acid. Prions cause normal proteins to misshape into Prion PrP proteins.
What are the 3 different types of media used for culturing viruses?
- * Mature organisms – viral plaques on a lawn of bacterial growthgrowth
- * Embryonated eggs – chicken eggs are large, sterile self sufficient cells with multiple sites for growth
- * Cell cultures – cells isolated from an organism and grown on media or in broth. Continuous cultures come from tumor cells and can divide continually.
What happens during the “attachment” phase during bacteriophage replication?
The virus engages a host cell by chance collision; Viruses do not move on their own.
What are proto-oncogenes?
* They are genes that play a role in cell division
*Several genetic changes must occur before these genes are no longer repressed or for cancer to develop
* Viruses cause 20-25% of human cancers by carrying copies of oncogenes, by promoting those already present, or possibly interfering with normal repression.
What are the 3 modes of action for antiviral drugs?
- * Halting penetration of virus into host cell Blocking transcription and/or translation
- * Preventing assembly, or maturation of viral pieces
- * Antiviral drugs protect uninfected cells, but don‟t do much for extracellular viruses or latent viruses
What are the four types of nucleic acids found In viruses and describe each of them:
- Double stranded DNA - Acts as normal DNA would, transcription and translation are the same.
- Single stranded DNA - only half of the normal DNA, A complementary strand is created and then the strand will acts as a normal double stranded dna.
- single stranded RNA - Can directly act as mRNA, a - single stranded RNA Stand is created as a template for more +ssRNA.
- -ssRNA - must have a Compliment +ssRNA strand created for both protein synthesis and as a template to create more -ssRNA
How do DNA animal viruses synthesize within their host cell?
DNA viruses enter the host cell nucleus and are replicated and assembled there
In phage typing what is plaque?
The clear region within the bacterial lawn where growth is inhibited by bacteriophages
