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The Viruses
I. General Characteristics:
1. Small. Usually much less than 0.5 M.
2. Simple. Acellular. No cytoplasm. No cell membrane.
No organelles. No ribosomes. No metabolism (neither
energy yielding nor biosynthetic).
3. Replication by disassembly, copying parts, and
assembling virus. No division.
4. Obligate parasites. Require living cells (plant, animal,
microbial [prokaryotic {bacteria or archaea} or eukaryotic]).
The Viruses
II. General virus structure:
- Core: Nucleic acid (DNA or RNA). Single or double
stranded. Linear or circular. Viral genome.
- Capsid. Virus coat. Capsomers.
- Nucleocapsid.
- Viral envelopes. Naked vs enveloped. Protein. Lipid.
- Virion: Infectious viral particle.
- Viral symmetry. Capsomer arrangement.
- Helical (rod shaped).
- Icosahedral or cubical (spherical).
- Complex viruses.
- Viral enzymes:
- Lysozyme. Bacteriophage.
- Neuraminidase. Some animal viruses.
- Transcription or replication enzymes. Some RNA viruses.
Core
Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Helical Symmetry
Icosahedral (or Cubical)
Symmetry
Head
Tail Fibers
Tail
Endplate
Influenza virus:
Enveloped virus
III. Quantitation of viral growth.
1. Cultivation of viruses. Requires living cells.
- Bacterial viruses: Cell suspensions (liquid culture). Plate
cultures (agar overlay. lawns).
- Plant and animal viruses: Live plants or lab animals.
Egg embryo. Tissue culture. Monolayers.
2. Detection and enumeration.
- Bacterial viruses. Count plaques. Plaque forming units (pfu).
- Plant and animal viruses: Plaques (pocks). CPE (Cytopathic
effect).
Agar overlay
Host cells
Soft agar
Plaque
Lawn
Plaques, Pocks, CPE.
IV. Viral Replication.
1. Replication cycle:
a. Attachment.
b. Penetration.
c. Synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins.
d. Assembly of virions.
e. Release of virions.
2. Attachment: Receptors. Host specificity. Tissue tropism.
- Plant: Barriers. Waxy epithelium. Role of insects.
Cytoplasmic membrane is target.
- Animal: Barriers. Glycoprotein layers. Cytoplasmic
membrane is target. VAPs (viral attachment proteins).
- Bacterial: Many barriers. (ex: capsule, S-layer).
Cytoplasmic membrane is often not the target.
Barrier may be target. (LPS, Teichoic acid). Pili may
be target.
Bacteriophage replication cycle.
Bacteriophage
Attachment and Penetration
Attachment and penetration using the viral envelop.
Uncoating at the cytoplasmic membrane.
Receptors
Attachment and penetration using the viral envelope.
Uncoating after endocytosis.