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Compenents of a virus
(lipid bilayer)
Viral components:
Nucleic Acid
(protein)
• Viral genomes can be either DNA or RNA
• This genome, once inside a host cell,
directs synthesis of new viral proteins, and
also replication of new viral genomes
• Viral genomes come in all kinds:
(DNA or RNA)
• Single- or double-stranded, RNA or DNA
• Linear or circular
• One piece or segmented (in several fragments)
(glycoproteins)
1
Viral components: Envelope Viruses: Size & Shape
Enveloped viruses: Advantages • Like bacteria, viruses come in a range of
• Membrane “looks” like cell, hides virus from the
immune system
sizes & shapes
– though they are all very small, average about 100 nm
• Helps virus infect new cells by membrane fusion
with a new host cell
Enveloped viruses: Disadvantage • Shape is determined by the capsid or
• Enveloped viruses are fragile envelope, often beautifully symmetric
– Conditions that damage membranes, will damage the • Enveloped viruses tend to be roughly spherical
envelope (heat, freezing, pH change, lipid solvents,
chemical disinfectants like chlorine & hydrogen peroxide)
• Naked viruses are generally tougher
Right:
coronavirus
Below:
T4 phage;
Marburg virus;
tobacco mosaic
virus
Polyhedral shapes
2
Animal viruses work somewhat Animal viruses work somewhat differently
differently 2. Penetration
• Bacteriophage: DNA gets injected into the cell
1. Attachment (adsorption) of virus to target cell
• Animal virus: virus genome + capsid enters the
• Bacteriophage: “tail” clings to bacterial cell wall cell by endocytosis (naked virus) or fusion
• Animal virus: spikes, capsid, or envelope bind to (enveloped virus)
proteins in the plasma membrane of target cell
Naked viruses:
Endocytosis
3. Uncoating
Penetration by enveloped viruses: • Bacteriophage: DNA is already exposed
• Animal virus: genome must be released from
the capsid (protein coat)
• Envelope membrane fuses with a
membrane of the cell
• either Plasma membrane, or
• Vesicle membrane after endocytosis 4. Both bacterial & animal virus genomes then
hijack the cell to manufacture & assemble new
virus particles (proteins & genomes)
Animal viruses work somewhat differently Replication of an enveloped animal virus (dsDNA)
Enveloped viruses
budding / being
shed from a cell
shedding
3
Viral genomes can be made of… + and – sense RNA genomes
+ sense RNA: acts like mRNA; can be directly
1. + sense ssRNA translated by ribosomes
2. - sense ssRNA (antisense)
3. dsRNA
4. dsDNA
ss = single stranded
ds = double stranded
-- (negative) sense RNA: the complementary
5. ssDNA sequence; acts as a template for synthesis of +
sense RNA
- Cells do NOT make RNA from RNA templates
The cells viruses infect use DNA to make - Cells do NOT have RNA-dependent RNA
DNA (replication) & ssRNA (transcription). polymerases
- Virus must bring a pre-made RNA polymerase
•Any other reactions must be catalyzed by molecule with it when it infects
enzymes provided by the infecting virus itself!
4
Retroviruses: HIV Replication of
a retrovirus
(HIV)
Reverse transcribed viral DNA
moves to the host cell nucleus &
gets incorporated into a host chromosome.
Integrated viral genome is called a
provirus
Antigenic drift:
mutations in the H & N genes
• Accounts for typical annual variation
• Each year’s “flu shot” contains the H & N
antigens expected to circulate that season
5
Influenza A
Antigenic Shift • Ch. 10 p. 264-268; p. 271 (+/- sense RNA); 276-
• Major, sudden change in genetic makeup of the virus 278 (emerging viruses); 281-282 (plaque assay
from lab); 283-287 (replication of animal
• Usually causes a pandemic viruses); 288 cell culture; p. 273 retroviruses
• Gene reassortment between two different
viruses which infected the same cell • Ch. 21 p. 628-634 (influenza; also SARS,
hantavirus in next lecture)
The concern with avian influenza H5N1 is that it will infect a bird or
human simultaneously infected with a flu that can spread person-
to-person, and acquire the genes to do so itself.