Intro to Virology

What is a virus?
A virus is a package of genetic information protected by a
protein shell for delivery into a host cell to be expressed and
replicated

Very small
Acellular, non-living
Obligate intracellular parasites
 Virion
Viruses package their genomes into infectious particles,
called virions
Virions are the vehicle for transmission of the viral genome
to the next cell or organism
 Components of the Virion- Naked Virus

Nucleic acid Viral genomes may be

genome DNA or RNA, single or
Capsid double stranded, one
piece or multiple
pieces (segmented)
(a) Naked Virus
Components of the Virion- Enveloped Virus
Glycoprotein spike

Envelope derived from

host
Capsid membranes
Nucleic acid
genome

(b) Enveloped Virus

Hierarchical Virus Classification
 A virus differs from a cell in three
fundamental ways:
1. Virions contain only a single type of nucleic acid serving as
its genetic material (DNA or RNA but not both).

2. Viruses do not encode sufficient machinery to make energy

or proteins.

3. Viruses differ in their mechanisms of reproduction. They

do not grow and divide but rather, they synthesize and
assemble their components
 Infectious Cycle
1. Attachment binding of virus to
specific receptors on the host cell
2. Penetration genome enters the host
cell
3. Uncoating the viral nucleic acid is
released from the capsid
4. Synthesis viral components are
produced
5. Assembly new viral particles are
constructed
6. Release assembled viruses are
released by budding (exocytosis) or cell
lysis
 Adsorption
Host Range: spectrum of host organisms that are susceptible to
infection by a particular virus
Determined by the host cell receptor protein used by the virus
Many viruses have a fairly narrow host range

Cell Tropism: preference for a specific cell type; the receptor used by
the virus may be so specific that it is only expressed by a particular cell
type in a particular host
- Example: T- tropic HIV refers to HIV that infects preferentially T
cells
 Viral Synthesis
Make viral protein: All viruses must convert their genome
(if its not already) into mRNA that can be translated by
host cell ribosomes.

Make viral genomes: Many viral genomes are copied by

the host cells polymerase but in some cases may require
a viral polymerase
 Question Negative sense
single stranded

The genome of the influenza virus is (-) ss RNA.

When this virus infects a cell, can it immediately
translate its genome into proteins?

A. Yes
B. No
 Question

In human cells, human ribosomes translate which of

the following into protein?

A. (-) ss RNA
B. (+) ss RNA
C. ds RNA
D. DNA
 Review of Molecular Terms

(+) sense RNA: RNA that can be immediately translated.

It is called messenger RNA because it contains the
message for translation.

(-) sense RNA: a complement of the (+) strand of nucleic

acid

DNA is never translated -- must be transcribed into (+)

sense RNA first
 Making the Viral Parts
The virus must synthesize:
(1) viral proteins and
(2) replicate its genome

The strategy that a virus uses to synthesize more

viruses depends on the nature of its nucleic acid
genome
Ie (+) ssRNA or (-) ssRNA or DNA or a
retrovirus
 Making the Viral Parts (+) ssRNA
(+) SS RNA Translation
(+) ss RNA serves Viral
as template for (-) proteins
ss synthesis
Proteins include RNA-
(-) SS RNA
dependent polymerase
(-) ssRNA serves as
template for (+)
strand synthesis

(+) SS RNA
 Making the Viral Parts (-) ss RNA
(-) SS RNA

RNA-dependent
(-) ssRNA serves as polymerase from
template for (+) infecting virion
strand synthesis

(+) SS RNA Translation Viral

(+) ss RNA serves proteins
as template for (-)
ss synthesis

(-) SS RNA
 Making the Viral Parts

Black arrows use host enzymes

Red arrows use virally encoded enzymes
 Making the Viral Parts

Black arrows use host enzymes

 Making the Viral Parts-
Retroviruses
Retroviruses have (+) ss RNA genomes
but use a DNA intermediate to replicate.
We will cover these when we discuss
HIV
 Question

The genome of the influenza virus is (-) ss RNA.

When this virus infects a cell, can it use host RNA
polymerase to make copies of its genome?

A. Yes
B. No
 Viral Assembly
Viruses replicate by assembling newly synthesized
components into progeny virions within the host cell that
later get released

+ =
Viral genomes Viral proteins Virion
 Viral Viral Replication Curve
attachment Viral uncoating and Viral assembly and
and entry replication maturation Viral release

Latent period
Number of virions

Eclipse period

Hours after addition of viral suspension

 Viral Release
Nonenveloped viruses (and
bacteriophages) are released
through cell lysis

Enveloped viruses leave their

host by budding
Effects of Viral infection on Host cell

Abortive infection Productive but chronic

infection
 Effects of Viral infection on Host cell

Productive and
lytic infection
(acute)
 Effects of Viral
infection on Host cell

Latent infection
1. Integrated into host cell
genome
2. Maintained as closed circular
DNA (episomes) in the
cytoplasm of host cell
 Diagnosis of viral infections

More difficult than other types of pathogens

Clinical Presentation
Immunological testing (ELISA, serological tests) to detect viral
antigens or host antibodies to viral antigens
Molecular techniques (ie PCR) to detect viral genomic
sequences and viral proteins
Cultivate virus and look for cytopathic effects (ie damage to
cells)
 Question
Which of these characteristics of CELLS
apply also to VIRUSES?

A. Life
B. A genome and the means to translate it into proteins
C. Produce more of themselves, from themselves, by
division
D. Acquire and utilize energy
E. Motility
 Other infectious particles: Prions
Proteinaceous
infective particles
Resistant to most
antimicrobial control
methods
Forms insoluble
aggregates of fibrils
 Prion Diseases: Transmissible
Spongiform Encephalopathies
Cow: Bovine spongiform
encephalitis (BSE), aka
mad cow disease
Deer and elk: Chronic
wasting disease
Sheep: Scrapie
Humans: variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (
vCJD)
Prion
Prion Reproduction