Discovery of viruses

The discovery of viruses resulted from the search for the infectious agent causing tobacco mosaic plants and gives their leaves a mosaic coloration.

Chlorosis Necrosis

ADOLF MEYER
A German scientist demonstrated that the disease was contagious & proposed that infectious agent was an unusually small bacterium that could not be seen with a microscope.

He successfully transmitted the disease by spraying sap from

infected plants onto the healthy ones. Using a microscope, he examined the sap & was unable to identify a microbe.

D. IVANOWSKY
1890: A Russian scientist proposed that tobacco mosaic disease was caused by a bacterium that was either too small to be trapped by a filter or that produced a filterable toxin To remove bacteria, he filtered sap from infected leaves Filtered sap still transmitted disease to healthy plants

MARTINUS BEIJERINCK
1897: A Dutch microbiologist proposed that disease was

caused by a reproducing particle much smaller& simpler than

a bacterium He ruled out the theory that a filterable toxin caused the disease by demonstrating that the infectious agent in filtered sap could reproduce

Plants were sprayed with filtered sap from disease plants----->

sprayed plants developed tobacco mosaic disease----->sap from newly infected plants was used to infect others

WENDELL. M. STANLEY
1935:An American Biologist, from the Rockefeller Institute, crystallized

the infectious particle now known as Tobacco Mosaic Virus(TMV)

The purified virus precipitated in the form of crystals. He was able to show that viruses can be better regarded as chemical matter, than as living organisms. Crystals retained the ability to infect healthy tissue. Subsequent determination of chemical nature of TMV: Protein in combo with nucleic, TMV were rods 300 nanometers long, TMV was RNA surrounded by protein coat.

Viruses of bacteria, Archaea and eukaryotes

VIRUS-HOST RANGE
The host range of a virus is the spectrum of host cells the virus can

infect
Some viruses have broad host ranges which may include several species(e.g. swine flu and rabies)

Some viruses have host ranges so narrow that they can infect only
one species(e.g. phages of E.coli) Infect only a single tissue type of one species(e.g. human cold virus) Infects only cells of the URT; AIDS virus binds only to specific receptors on certain white blood cells

VIRAL SIZE

Smaller than bacteria Pass through a filter

Once called filterable agents

VIRAL STRUCTURE
The virus or virion, is just nucleic acid enclosed by a protein coat, Its a complete, fully developed infectious

viral particle that is a vehicle of

transmission from one host to another Viruses are classified by differences in the structures of these coats

NUCLEIC ACID-VIRAL GENOMES

Depending on the virus, viral genomes: May be double-stranded DNA, single-stranded DNA, doublestranded RNA or single-stranded RNA

Are organized as single nucleic acid molecules that are either

linear or circular May have as few as four genes or as many as several hundred

CAPSID
Capsid: Protein coat that encloses the viral genome Its structure may be rod-shaped, polyhedral or complex Composed of many capsomeres: protein subunits

made from only one or a few types of protein

Membrane that cloak some viral capsid: Helps viruses infect their host

Derived from host cell membrane which is

usually virus-modified and contains proteins and glycoproteins of viral origin

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY
Helical viruses Polyhedral viruses Enveloped viruses Complex viruses

HELICAL VIRUSES

Resemble long rods. Maybe rigid or flexible. Viral Genome found inside a hollow cylindrical capsid.

POLYHEDRAL VIRUSES
Many-sided Capsid is in the shape of icosahedron
(a polyhedral with 20 triangular faces)

Eg.: Adenovirus, and poliovirus

ENVELOPED VIRUSES
Roughly spherical Enveloped-helical or enveloped polyhedral

viruses
Enveloped helical = Influenzae virus Enveloped polyhedral = Herpes simplex virus

Viral envelope
Not found in all viruses - Surrounds capsid - Derived from host cell (budding) - May have viral proteins and glycoproteins embedded - Assists the virus in infecting its host - Example is influenza

COMPLEX VIRUSES

Bacteriophage. Capsid(head) is polyhedral, tail sheath is helical. Tail fibers, plate and pin.

TWO BASIC TYPES OF VIRIONS

Naked: consist only of nucleic acid and capsid Enveloped virus: consists of nucleic acid, capsid, and

envelope

Overviewreplication cycle of viruses

Can only multiply within living cells that are actively metabolizing Viruses lack cellular components necessary to harvest energy and synthesize proteins Viruses must use structures & enzymes of cells they

infect to support their own reproduction- considered

parasites

Ultra structure of bacterial viruses

Bacteriophage
Virus that infects

bacteria
Excellent model for other bacteria

PHAGE T4
CHROMOSOME: DOUBLE STRAND LINEAR DNA ~2 x 105 NUCLEOTIDE PAIRS ~1 x 108 MOLECULAR WEIGHT COLLAR ~200 GENES BASE PLATE EXTERIOR SPIKES HEAD

CAPSOMER

TAIL

CORE SHEATH
TAIL FIBER (6)

INJECTION PENETRATION
RECEPTOR PROTEIN

WALL - OUTER MEMBRANE CYTOPLASMIC MEMBRANE

CYTOPLASM

Two possible outcomes following viral infection of a bacterial cell

Lytic Infection: Viruses multiply inside the cells they invade

Lysogenic Infection: Integrate viral DNA into host cell chromosome; the virus DNA replicates as the bacterial chromosome replicates

Replication of lytic phages

Phage nucleic acid enters the bacterium and capsid remains outside Nucleic acid replicated along with phage proteins

Many virions are formed

Phages exit by bursting the cell Phages that go through this life cycle are called virulent Virulent: has the ability to overcome host defenses and cause disease

Bacteria eater

- Viral genome has a promoter - Bacterial RNA polymerase transcribes viral genes

- EARLY STAGE PROTEINS

- Viral genes adjacent to the promoter are transcribed

- Proteins that stop host transcription - Proteins that stimulate viral replication - Viral nucleases digest host genome - Stimulate late gene transcription

-LATE STAGE PROTEINS

- Viral genes that code for viral capsid proteins - Proteins that lyse the host cell

Virus infects host

Hosts RNA polymerase transcribes EARLY genes

Lytic Stage

operon
Early proteins stop transcription of hosts genes Early protein stimulates viral genome reproduction, digest host genome & stimulate late gene transcription Viral capsid proteins Early protein stimulates transcription of LATE genes.

Lyse host

Lysogenic Infection
The viral DNA is incorporated into the host genome

Each time the host chromosomes replicated and split into new

cells, so is the viral DNA

Phage may excise itself from the chromosome and later and revert to lytic growth

Temperate phage
Bacterium growing well lysogenic cycle Bacterial host stressed or damaged lytic cycle Regulatory proteins Constant Growth Cro cI Lysogenic

cI(Clear) Cro

(Control of Repressor Operator)

Compete for promoter sites

STRESS or UV Damage cI Cro Lytic

Both are transcriptional inhibitor

35

STRESS or DAMAGE
Cro protein activates promoters for phage DNA replication & cell lysis

GOOD GROWTH
cI accumulates & activates promoters for integration Lysogenic Cycle

Host range of phages

Host range: number of different bacteria that a particular phage can infect Two factors determine the host range of a phage:
1. Phage must be able to attach to receptors on host cell surface

2.

The restriction modification system of the host cell

Restriction Modification System

In some bacteria to protect themselves from viral infection Bacterial cell makes restriction enzyme & methylating enzyme Methylating enzyme adds methyl group to bacterial DNA

Bacteria now knows this is its own DNA

Uses restriction enzyme to cut any DNA that is not methylated Cuts viral DNA- inactivating it

Multiplication of Animal Viruses

Multiplication of Animal Viruses

Similar to bacteriophage replication Animal viruses attach to host plasma membrane via spikes on the capsid or envelope

Animal viruses are usually taken into the cytoplasm as intact

nucleocapsids Uncoating is the separation of the capsid from the genome

Entry of Animal Viruses into their Host Cells

Interactions of Animal Viruses with their hosts

Acute Infections Latent Viral Infections Persistant Viral Infections

Latent Viral Infections

When acute infection followed by symptomless period and then reactivation of disease Symptoms of the initial and reactivated diseases may differ Provirus: latent form of virus in which viral DNA

incorporated into host DNA

Examples of Latent Infectionsvaricella zoster virus

Initial infection of children- chicken pox Then can remain latent for years with no disease symptoms Can be reactivated and cause shingles Chicken pox and shingles- different diseases caused by same virus

Persistent Viral Infections

Occurs gradually over a long period Example: Measles Several years after contracting measles can get Subacute sclerosing panenchaphalitis

Retroviridae
Family of viruses that carry their genetic information as ssRNA Have enzyme reverse transcriptase which forms a DNA copy that is then integrated into the host genome