Viruses Flashcards
What differentiates viral growth from bacterial growth?
- bacteria grow exponentially in culture medium
- viruses have an ‘eclipse period’ where no virus appears to be present
- during this phase it has infected the cell and been broken down into its components
What are the stages of viral replication?
- Attachment to cell surface
- Penetration of the plasma membrane
- Uncoating of the genome protein coat
- 3 phases:
- Genome replication
- mRNA synthesized
- Viral proteins synthesized
- Protein + genome assembly
- Released from cell

How do viruses attach to cell plasma membranes?
- via receptors (normal physiological parts of the PM)
- this defines and limits the host species and type of cell that can be infected
What type of receptors are used by viruses for attachment/adsorption?
- protein
- e.g. ICAM-1 for most rhinoviruses
- carbohydrate
- e.g. sialic acid for influenza virus
- recognition of sugars on carbohydrate side chains of glyoprotiens - very common
How does HIV attach to cells?
- infects CD4 T-cells via CD4 and chemokine (CCR-5) receptors
- gp160 on HIV made up of gp120 and gp41
- on gp41 is a hydrophobic peptide, surrounded by gp120
- CD4 receptor combines with gp120 to capture the HIV
- induces conformational change in gp120 exposing peptide
- recruits CCR-5
- tight binding of HIV to cell in unstable configuration (peptide exposed)

How does viral penetration occur?
Two ways:
- After adsorption, the lipid coat of enveloped viruses fuses with the cell membrane and the nucleocapsid is released into the cytoplasm
- Enveloped and non-enveloped viruses can also stimulate endocytosis on attaching to the PM
What is viral uncoating?
- release of viral genome from its protective capsid
- enables nucleic acid to be transported within the cell for transcription
How does HIV penetrate cells?
- hydrophobic peptide of gp41 insterts into PM
- brings viral membrane in close proximity to cell membrane
- membranes merge, viral contents and genome are emptied into the cell cytoplasm

How does togavirus penetrate cells?
- binding to PM receptor triggers endocytosis
- low pH of endosome can trigger a conformational change in the viral proteins to expose a hydrophobic fusion region to fuse out of the endosome (similar to gp41 peptide)
- or, lysis of endosome releases virus
DNA viruses replicate in
the nucleus*
*exception: pox virus, encodes own machinery, replicates in cytoplasm
RNA viruses replicate in
the cytoplasm*
*exception: influenza, HIV replicate in the nucleus
What occurs during amplification of the viral genome and viral proteins?
- nucleic acid replication to produce new genomes for new virions
- mRNA is produced, codes viral proteins translated by the host cell
- early proteins: non-structural (DNA, RNA polymerases, enzymes or factors to dampen innate immune response)
- late proteins: structural (capsid proteins, virion building blocks)
What are early and late proteins?
- early proteins: non-structural (DNA, RNA polymerases, enzymes or factors to dampen innate immune response)
- late proteins: structural (capsid proteins, virion building blocks)
In order to replicate, RNA viruses require
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
encoded by the virus
Which sense of RNA can act as mRNA?
+ sense, e.g. poliovirus
How do + sense RNA viruses replicate?
- encodes own RNA-dependent RNA polymerase tf it cannot replicate right away
- must first produce proteins by translating the RNA into a polyprotein
- autocleavage of polyprotein yields polymerase + other encoded proteins
- viral genome can now replicate and produce more polymerases

How do - sense RNA viruses replicate?
they must bring RNA-dependent RNA polymerase with them into the cell
What viruses are examples of Class I and how do they produce mRNA?
Class I: dsDNA
- e.g. adenovirus, herpesvirus, poxvirus
- enters nucleus, uses host cell polymerases

What viruses are examples of Class II and how do they produce mRNA?
Class II: ssDNA, +/- sense
- e.g. parvovirus
- +sense can act as mRNA –> translated to produce its RNA-dep RNA polymerases
- -sense must bring RNA-dep RNA pol into cell

What viruses are examples of Class III and how do they produce mRNA?
Class III: dsRNA
- e.g. reovirus
- replicates in cytoplasm, uses own polymerases

What viruses are examples of Class IV and how do they produce mRNA?
Class IV: +ssRNA
- e.g. picornavirus, togavirus, flavivirus
- +ssRNA can act as mRNA
- replicatres in cytoplasm, encodes polymerase

What viruses are examples of Class V and how do they produce mRNA?
Class V: -ssRNA
- e.g. orthomyxovirus, paramyxovirus, rhabdovirus, filovirus
- -ssRNA must provide its own RNA-dep RNA polymerase

What viruses are examples of Class VI and how do they produce mRNA?
Class VI: +ssRNA that replicates via DNA intermediate
- e.g. retrovirus (HIV)
- carries reverse transcriptase to convert +ssRNA to DNA
- DNA is integrated into the host genome
- DNA is used to create mRNA to create proteins

Translation of structural and non-structural viral proteins is carried out by
ribosomes in the host cell cytoplasm

















