Viruses

Is a virus alive?
Non-living Features
• not a cell 🡪 no nucleus, cytoplasm,
cell membrane or organelles
• no metabolism 🡪 do not make or
utilize organic molecules for energy
• do not use ATP (energy currency)
• cannot reproduce on its own 🡪 host
cell’s machinery is used to produce
new viruses
• smaller than any cell
• do not grow
Living Features
• made of biological molecules
🡪 protein in the coat
🡪 nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
• is parasitic to its host
Basic Viral Structures
A. Capsid
• protein coat
• may be complex, with tail
and long, leg-like fibres
• great variations in shape,
from simple rod shapes
to elaborate geometric-
type forms
B. Nucleic Acid Core
• may be DNA or RNA
• may be a single molecule,
linear or circular
• may be single or double
stranded
• can have less than 5 to
several hundred genes
C. Spikes
• used to attach to a cell’s surface
• protein molecules may stick out of the spikes’
surface
• white blood cells are able to recognize these
proteins as part of immune response
 General Characteristics of Viruses
• cause disease by attacking living cells
• have a highly specialized relationship
with their host 🡺 will only infect animal
or plant or bacteria
• most have a very limited host range,
however, some viruses, like rabies, can
infect a broad range of hosts
• size: 1/10th of the volume of a small
bacterial cell
i.e. 0.03 – 0.3 μm (10 – 100 X smaller
than bacteria)
• discovered with the invention of the
electron microscope
http://www.cellsalive.com/howbig.htm
Bacteriophages

• viruses that attack bacteria

• “phage” = to eat

Let’s label the diagram!

How Bacteriophages Attack

Step # 1: Receptors on the
“legs” are used by the virus to
recognize & attach to the host
cell.
Step # 2: After receptors are
bound to the bacterial
cell, the base plate is
brought into contact with
the host.

Step # 3: This triggers the

tail to begin contraction,
which causes the viral
genome (DNA or RNA) to
be injected into the
bacteria.
 Lytic Cycle (Viral Replication)
1.) Attachment
- virus chemically recognizes a host cell
- attaches to it and either whole virus or its
DNA/RNA enters

2.) Synthesis
- molecular information of the viral DNA or RNA
directs the host cell to replicate viral components
(protein capsids and enzymes as well as the nucleic
acid units)

3.) Assembly
- viral nucleic acids, enzymes and proteins are brought
together and assembled into new virus particles
4.) Release
- newly formed virus particles are released from the
infected cell and the host cell dies

LYTIC CYCLE
The entire process is called the
lysis – destruction or bursting open

Usually produces many new virus particles in a short period

of time
As many as 300 particles in as little as 25-45 min
 Lysogenic Cycle (Dormant Stage)
Many types of viruses also have something called a lysogenic
cycle (eg. cancer causing viruses).

It may be carried with the host cells for generations without

apparent harm to the host.

Lysogeny – virus is in a dormant stage

Mode of Action
- Virus injects it nucleic acid into the host, similiar to lytic,
but does not take control of the host
- Instead nucleic acid becomes incorporated into host’s DNA
and acts as another set of genes within the host’s
chromosomes
- Replicated with host DNA and passed to daughter cells
 Impact of being Lysogenic Cycle
- Dormant virus particles may be stimulated by a number of
factors:
- damage to the DNA
- environmental changes (temp or acidity)
- stress on the host
- these factors may cause the viral DNA/RNA to separated
from the host’s DNA

This will trigger the viral to enter back into the LYTIC CYCLE

Questions pg 340 #1-4, 6-8

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