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Biology Unit 4 - The Natural Environment and Species Survival
Biology Unit 4 - The Natural Environment and Species Survival
There is
considerable
variation in
the
structure of
viruses, but
they all
contain a
few key
features.
Virus life cycles
1. Bacteriophage attacks bacterium and attaches to it
2. Viral (phage) DNA is injected into host cell, bringing
about synthesis of viral enzymes
3a. Viral DNA incorporated into host cell DNA. Viral DNA
replicated
each time the bacterium divides. (lysogenic pathway)
OR 3b. Phage DNA inactivates the host DNA and takes
over cell chemistry. (lytic pathway).
4. Phage DNA is replicated. New phage particles are
assembled and protein coats form around the viral DNA.
Lysozyme is synthesised or released.
5. Lysis bacterial cell burst due to action of lysozyme,
releasing up to 1000 new phages to infect more bacteria.
[Some types of virus have both the lysogenic and lytic
pathway in their life cycle, but others move straight to the
lytic stage after infecting a cell. During the period of lysogeny,
Virus life cycles
Retrovirus life cycle
Retroviruses (e.g. HIV) contain viral RNA, and so
cannot be used as mRNA but must be translated
into DNA by the enzyme reverse transcriptase
in the cell cytoplasm.