VIRUS

characteristics
NING RINTISWATI

WHAT IS A VIRUS?
Virus is a set of genes :DNA or RNA
Packaged in a protein-containing coat
The complete structure is called virion
Virus reproduction requires that virus particel infect a

cell of host and program machinery to synthesize the

macromol constituents required for the assembly of
new virions.
Thus a virus is an parasite intracelluler

 The infected host cell may produce a

hundreds to hundreds of thousand new virions

Instead of reproducing, the virus may enter a
latent state by integrating into the host
genome
Different virus can have different structure and
different replicative structure

Virus size and design

Viral size ranges from 20-300 nm
Unenveloped viruses have a nucleic acid

genome within a protein capsid

Enveloped viruses have a nucleocapsid of
nucleic acid complexed to protein
Some viruses have surface protein or
glycoprotein spikes

 Two shapes of capsids:1.icosahedral in which the

capsomers arranged in 20 triangels that form a symetric

figure .2. Helical, capsomers are arranged in a holow
coil that appears rod-shaped.
Envelope : is a lipoprotein membran composed of lipid
derived from the host cell membrane and protein that is
virus- specific
Enveloped virus confers instability on the virus
Enveloped viruses are more sensitive to heat,
detergents and lipid solvents than unenveloped viruses,
which are composed of nucleic acid and capsids protein
only.

Viruslike agent
Pseudovirion
Contain of host cell DNA instead of viral DNA
within the capsid.
They are formed during infection when the
host cell DNA is fragmented and pieces of it
incorporated within the capsid protein
Pseudovirion can infect cells but it can not
replicate

 Defective viruses
composed of viral nucleic acid and proteins
Can not replicate without helper virus,which

provides the missing function .

Ussualy have a mutation or a deletion of part of their
genetic material.
During the growth of viruses many more defective
than infectious virus particle are produced. (ratio
100:1)
This defective particle can interfere with the growth of
infectious particle.So the defective may aid in
recovery from an infection by limiting the ability of the
infectious particle to grow

Viroids
consist a single molecule of circuler RNA
without a protein coat or envelope
Apparently does not code for any protein
Viroid replicate but the mechanism is unclear
Cause several plant diseasees but are not
implicated in any human disease

Prions
Are infectious agent protein particles that are
composed of solely protein, contain no detectable
nucleic acid.
They implicated as the cause of slow
diseases:Creutzfeldt jakob disease in human and
scrapie in sheep
On ME: reveals filaments rather than virus particle
More resistant to UV light,heat and acid than viruses,
rsistant to formaldehide and nucleases
Inactive by hypochlorite, Na OH and autoclaving

Virus Replication
Recognition of target cell hospes
All virus have on their outside a protein as receptor
binding site that reacts specifically with a
corresponding receptor on a cell surface.This like key
and and- lock interaction
Many viruses are restricted to a given host and
particular tissues
The receptors on cell are glcoprotein or glycolipids

Transcription of viral genom to m.RNA

and replication of the viral genome

Internalization
Having attached to the host cell,
the virus must penetrate the external plasma
membrane
release its genome into cellular millieu for
subsequent replication

Internalization
Accomplished in one of three ways:
Fusion of the viral membrane at the external cellular
plasma membrane and subsequent release of viral
nucleic acid
Viropexis :internalization of the whole virion and
subsequent fusion with an internal vacuolar
membrane to release v.n.a
Viruses without a lipid membrane appear to pass or
slide through the external plasma membrane directly

Release of viruses
Virus particle are release from the cell by either 2 ways
Rupture of the cell membrane and release of the
mature particles(unenveloped virus)
Budding:release by budding through the outer cell
membrane (enveloped virus).the cell membrane
evaginate at that site , enveloped particle budds off
from membrane . Frequently not damage the cell

Herpes simplex replication

Hepatitis virus replication

Parvovirus replication