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Understanding Virus Structure and Function

Viruses are intracellular parasites much smaller than cells that infect them. They contain either DNA or RNA and have capsids that may be icosahedral or helical in shape. Viruses attach to host cells, enter, release their genomes, and hijack the cell's machinery to replicate themselves before exiting to infect new cells.

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Sally Elhadad
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43 views23 pages

Understanding Virus Structure and Function

Viruses are intracellular parasites much smaller than cells that infect them. They contain either DNA or RNA and have capsids that may be icosahedral or helical in shape. Viruses attach to host cells, enter, release their genomes, and hijack the cell's machinery to replicate themselves before exiting to infect new cells.

Uploaded by

Sally Elhadad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Viruses- Basic Structure

Obligate
intracellular
parasites

Do not have a
nucleus,
cytoplasm,
mitochondria, or
other cell
organelles

Human viruses,
bacteriophages,
plant viruses
VIRUS STRUCTURE
100- to 1000-fold smaller
than the cells they infect

Parvoviruses 20 nm

Poxviruses 300 nm

Spheres or rods
Pass through filters designed to trap bacteria

Filterable agents
Virus particle = virion (virion is the active, infectious
form of the virus) that contains the nucleic acid
genome (DNA or RNA)

Capsid

Nucleocapsid
This interaction determines the host specificity

They are the targets of antibody (i.e., antibody bound to these


surface proteins prevents the virus from attaching to the cell
receptor)

This “neutralizes” (inhibits) viral replication


Icosahedral Helical

Nucleocapsid
Spikes, involved in the initial contact with receptor
on host cells
Protection
Entry
Package viral enzymes
Classification of Viruses

RNA, DNA; not both

Single stranded, double stranded


All viruses have one copy of their genome (haploid)
except retroviruses, which have two copies (diploid)
The symmetry and shape of the capsid (cubic, helical,
complex)
The presence or absence of an envelope (enveloped,
naked)
Adsorption or Attachment to cell surface
PENETRATION, ENTRY, AND UNCOATING
Infected cells have a tendency to fuse with other
uninfected cells

Paramyxoviruses and HIV


Endocytosis of the Virus

Viropexis
UNCOATING
CELL DEATH
BUDDING

The infected cells become targets for the immune system

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