VIROLOGY

Definition of Terms:

1. CAPSID The protein coat that surrounds the nucleic acid of a virus 2. CAPSOMERS Su structures of virus particles. Co!posed of a""re"ates of pol#peptide chains that interact to for! the asic structural units of the capsid. $. CASE %ATA&IT' RATE ()C%R* The proportion of clinicall# apparent cases +hich result in death. ,. C'TOPAT-IC E%%ECT ()CPE* CPE consists of !orpholo"ic alterations of host cells. !a# result in cell death. /. E01E&OPE A host2cell2derived !e! rane. containin" virus specific anti"ens. that is ac3uired durin" virus !aturation. 4. %OMITE An o 5ect (e.". furniture. oo6* that is not har!ful in itself ut +hich can har or patho"enic or"anis!s and thus !a# e involved in trans!ission of an infection 7. 8E0OME A set of "enes. 9. -EMADSORPTIO0 The attach!ent of red lood cells to the surface of host cells :. -EMA88&;TI0ATIO0 A""re"ation of red lood cells. 1<. ICOSA-EDRO0 A "eo!etric fi"ure co!posed of 12 vertices. 2< trian"ular faces and $< ed"es. 11. I0C&;SIO0 =ODIES ;suall# sites of virus s#nthesis or asse! l#> !a# e of dia"nostic value (e.". 0e"ri odies in ra ies infection*. 12. 0;C&EOCAPSID The virus structure co!posed of the nucleic acid surrounded # the capsid. 1$. MO0O&A'ER Sheet of cells for!in" a continuous la#er one cell thic6 on a solid (e.". "lass or plastic* surface. Cells !a# e e.". fi ro last. epithelial. epitheliod in nature. The# !a# e?ist in either pri!ar# or continuous (transfor!ed* state. 1,. P&A@;E A defined area of cell destruction resultin" fro! virus infection in vitro. 1/. P&A@;E %ORMI08 ;0IT ()P%;* A !easure of infectious virus particles. One pla3ue for!in" unit is e3uivalent to one infectious virus particle. 14. POCA A discrete pustular lesion found in the chorioallantoic !e! rane or s6in follo+in" infection +ith certain viruses. 17. SPIAES Surface pro5ection of var#in" len"ths spaced at re"ular intervals on the viral envelope. also called peplo!ers. Consist of viral "l#coproteins 19. STR;CT;RA& PROTEI0S Those proteins +hich are present in the virion. T-IS I0C&;DES PROTEI0S PRESE0T I0 &OB AMO;0TS. CSTR;CT;RA& PROTEI0SC do 0OT necessaril# pla# a s6eletal role in !aintainin" a virusCs shape. 1:. S'0C'TI;M A !ultinucleated protoplas!ic !ass for!ed # the fusion of ori"inall# separate cells 2<. 1IRA& -EMA88&;TI0I0 A virall# coded protein on the outer surface of so!e viruses +hich reacts +ith a surface deter!inant on red cells. Since such a virion +ill have !an# copies of the surface he!a""lutinin. it can ind to !ore than one red lood cell. thus causin" he!a""lutination. 21. 1IRA& I0%ECTIO;S DOSE The a!ount of virus re3uired to cause a de!onstra le infection in /<D of the inoculated ani!als (ID/<* or tissue culture cells (TCID/<*. 22. 1IREMIA Presence of virus particles in the lood 2$. 1IRIO0 The !ature virus particle. +ith all of its structural co!ponents intact. 2,. 1IR;S A s!all. o li"ate intracellular parasite that depends on a livin" host cell for ener"#. precursors. enE#!es. and ri oso!es to !ultipl#. It consists of a sin"le t#pe of nucleic acid. either D0A or R0A. and a protein coat surroundin" the nucleic acid. In addition. so!e viruses have an envelope.

A.

Definition:

1iruses are or"aniEed associations of !acro!oleculesF 2 nucleic acid (+hich carries the lueprint for the replication of pro"en# virions* contained +ithin a protective shell of protein units . On its o+n. a virus !a# e considered as an inert ioche!ical co!ple? since it cannot replicate outside of a livin" cell. Once it has invaded a cell it is a le to direct the host cell !achiner# to s#nthesiEe ne+ intact infectious virus particles (virions). =ecause viruses are non2!otile. the# are entirel# dependent on e?ternal ph#sical factors for chance !ove!ent and spread to infect other suscepti le cellsF

B.

Viral Replication: (Growth C r!e" #. $clipse %erio&. %ollo+in" the initial attach!ent of a virus to the host cell. the a ilit# of the virus to infect other cells disappears. This is the eclipse period and represents the ti!e elapsed fro! initial entr# and disasse! l# of the parental virus to the asse! l# of the first pro"en# virion. Durin" this period the active s#nthesis of virus co!ponent s is occurrin". The eclipse periods for !ost hu!an viruses fall +ithin a ran"e of one to t+ent# hours.

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$(ponential )rowth.

The nu! er of pro"en# virus produced +ithin the infected cell increases e?ponentiall# for a period of ti!e. then reaches a plateau after +hich no additional increase in virus #ield occurs.

C. *teps in The Replication C+cles of Vir ses:

1. Adsorption The virus eco!es attached to the cells. and at this sta"e. it can e recovered in the infectious for! +ithout cell l#sis # procedures that either destro# the receptors or +ea6en their onds to the virions. Adsorption occurs to specific cellular receptors. So!e receptors are "l#coproteins. others are phospholipids or "l#colipids. These are usuall# !acro!olecules +ith specific ph#siolo"ical functions. such as co!ple!ent receptors for E=1. .Attach!ent is loc6ed # anti odies that ind to the viral or cellular sites involved.

2. Penetration Penetration rapidl# follo+s adsorption. and the virus can no lon"er e recovered fro! the intact cell. The !ost co!!on !echanis! is receptor !ediated endoc#tosis. the process # +hich !an# hor!ones and to?ins enter cells. The virion is endoc#tosed and contained +ithin a c#toplas!ic vacuole.

3. Uncoating A 6e# step in uncoatin" is the acidification of the content of the endoso!e to a p- of a out /. o+in" to the activit# of a proton pu!p present in the !e! rane. The lo+ p- causes rearran"e!ent of coat co!ponents. +hich then e?pose nor!all# hidden h#dropho ic sites. The# ind to the lipid ila#er of the !e! rane. causin" the e?trusion of the viral core into the c#tosol. %or influenEa virus. the acid2sensitive co!ponent is the core -A 2 unit of the hae!a""lutinin. for adenoviruses. it is the penton ase.

4. Viral Nucleic Acid Replication 1irulent viruses. either D0A and R0A. shut off cellular protein s#nthesis and disa""re"ate cellular pol#ri oso!es. favourin" a shift to viral s#nthesis. The !echanis! of protein s#nthesis shut2off varies even +ithin the sa!e viral fa!il#. This pheno!enon is of considera le interest for viral carcino"enesis.

A. The D,A Vir ses

B. The R,A Vir ses

C. Characteristics of Viral -amilies: Division of viruses into fa!il# "roups is ased lar"el# on the t#pe and polarit# of the nucleic acid the# contain. their !echanis! of "eno!e replication. and also the structural characteristics of the virus particles. 1. 8eno!eF The t#pe of nucleic found in the virus particle is the funda!ental and strai"htfor+ard of viral properties. It !a# e R0A or D0A Either of +hich !a# e sin"le stranded (ss* or dou le stranded(ds* The !ost co!!on for!s of viral "eno!es found in nature are ss R0A and dsD0A. Sin"le stranded viral R0A "eno!es are further su divided into those of Gpositive polarit#H or that of Gne"ative polarit#H Positive polarit#. Of !essen"er R0A sense +hich can therefore e used as a te!plate for protein s#nthesis. 0e"ative polarit#. Are antisense. 1iruses containin" these t+o t#pes of R0A "eno!es are co!!onl# referred to as positive strand and ne"ative strand R0A viruses respectivel#. 2. Capsid S#!!etr#. The protein shell enclosin" the "eno!e is for !ost virus fa!ilies. found in either t+o "eo!etric confi"urations
a. .elical s+mmetr+.

Capsids +ith helical s#!!etr# consist of repeated units of a sin"le pol#peptide species that in association +ith the viral nucleic acid 2 self asse! le into a helical c#linder. Each pol#peptide unit (called a proto!er* is h#dro"en onded to nei"h orin" proto!ers.


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The nucleic acid is is +ouind in ahelical path # h#udro"en ondin" in an identical +a# to each successive proto!er in the heli?. The co!ple? of proto!ers and nucleic acid is called the nucleocapsid.

Icosahe&ral s+mmetr+.

An icosahedron is a structure +ith t+elve vertices and t+ent# trian"ular faces. Capsid +ith icosahedral s#!!etr# are !ore co!ple? that those +ith helical s#!!etr# . in that the# consist of several different pol#peptides "rouped into structural su asse! lies called capso!ers.

0. $n!elope
An i!portant structural feature used in definin" a viral fa!il#. it is a lipid containin" !e! rane surroundin" the nucleocapsid.

A virus that is not enveloped is referred to as a na6ed virus The envelope is derived fro! host cell !e! ranes ho+ever. the cellular !e! rane proteins are replaced # virus2specific proteins. thus coferin" virus2specific anti"enicit# upon the particle.

Viral Dia)nosis:
The esta lish!ent of a definite dia"nosis of viral infection is often eneficial inF 1. 2. $. ,. Epide!iolo"ic !onitorin" Educatin" ph#sicians and patients Definin" the disease process Evaluatin" therapeutic i!plications. oth positive and ne"ative

Speci!en Conis