VIRUSES

I.  Introduction

    A.  Living vs. nonliving

        1. Viruses are acellular
 

        2. Cannot self-replicate
 

    B. Cultivation

        1. Embryonated eggs
 

        2. Cell monolayers
 

II. Structure of Viruses

    A. Size
 

    B. Capsids

        1. Helical
 

        2. Spherical: Icosahedron
 

    C. Nucleic Acids (genome)

        1. DNA or RNA
 

        2. ss or ds
 

        3. Linear or circular
 

        4. Size

           a)  most DNA virus are dsDNA

            b) most RNA virus are ssRNA

                  RNA+ sense

                  RNA- sense
 

    D. Envelopes
 
 

    E. Viral Enzymes
 
 

    F. Complex
 

III. Viral Taxonomy

    A. Host Range

    B.  Pathogenesis

 


    C. Genome
 

    D. Capsid
 

    E. Presence of an envelope
 

    F. Diameter of virion or nucleocapsid
 

IV. Bacteriophages

    A. Classification
 

    B. Replication of DNA Phages

        1. One-step growth curve
 

        2. Replication cycle

            a) adsorption: not random
 

            b) injection of phage DNA
 

            c) synthesis of phage nucleic acids and proteins
 

            d) assembly
 

            e) release of phage
 

    C. Lysogeny

V. Viruses of Eucaryotes

    A. Replication of animal viruses

        1. adsorption
 

        2. penetration
 

        3. uncoating
 

        4. Replication

            a) DNA viruses
 

            b) RNA viruses

                ssRNA+

                ssRNA-

                dsRNA
 

        5. Synthesis of late proteins
 

        6. Maturation/Assembly
 

        7. Release of virions

            a) naked

            b) enveloped
 

    B. Effects of viral infection on animal cells

        1. Cytocidal infections

            a) vacuoles

            b) inclusion bodies

            c) syncytia

            d) lysis
 

        2. lysogenic infections

            a) latent infections
 

            b) transformation
 

    C. Viruses and Cancer

        1. Introduction
 

        2. Examples

            a) EBV

                1) Burkitt's lymphoma
 

                2) Evidence supporting EBV's role in cancer

                 3) mechanism of oncogenesis            

             b) HBV
 

            c) HPV
 

            d) HTLV-I/HTLV-II
 
 

VI. Viroids and Prions

    A. Viroids and Virusoids

        circular ssRNA

    B. Prions

        proteinaceous infectious particles
 
 


Last updated January 20, 2009.