Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2
VIRUSES
THE NON-LIVING ENTITY
LESSON LEARNING OUTCOMES

Describe and explain
characteristics of viruses.
the
structure,
Able to explain lytic and lysogenic life cycles

of bacteriophage.
Able to differentiate viruses, viroids and
prions.
CONTENT
2.1 Structure and Characteristics of viruses
2.2 Lytic and Lysogenic life cycles of
bacteriophage
2.3 Viroids and Prions
2.1 Structure and

Characteristics of viruses
HISTORY OF VIRUS
Early 20th century, scientists discovered infectious
agents that could cause disease in animals or kill
bacteria.
These pathogens passed through filters that usually
removed bacteria. Means?
Its so small that they could not be seen with the
light microscope.
They could not be grown in laboratory cultures
unless living cell are present.
CHARACTERISTICS
Virus is a tiny particle consisting of nucleic acid core
(genetic material) surrounded by a protein coat called
capsid.
Some virus are also surrounded by an outer
membranous envelope containing proteins, lipids,
carbohydrates and traces of metal.
A typical small virus (e.g. poliovirus) is about 20nm
whereas larger virus (e.g. poxvirus) might be 400nm
long and 200nm wide.
Capsid made up of protein organized in subunits known as

capsomeres. Capsid has 3 functions:
a. It protects the nucleic acid from digestion by enzymes.
b. Contains special sites on its surface that allow the virus to
attach to a host cell.
c. Provides proteins that enable the virus to penetrate the host
cell membrane and to inject the infectious nucleic acid into
the cell's cytoplasm.
Virus Structure
Viruses are not cellular (acellular) and cannot

independently perform metabolic activity.
They do not have a metabolism: they do not carry
out cellular respiration, photosynthesis or
fermentation!
Viruses contain either DNA or RNA, not both (like
living organisms) wrapped in the protein coat
Viruses can reproduce, but only within the
environment of the living cells they infect (viruses
come alive only when they infect a cell).
They cannot synthesize proteins, because they

lack ribosomes and must use the ribosomes of
their host cells to translate viral messenger RNA
into viral proteins.
Viruses cannot generate or store energy (ATP),
but have to derive their energy, and all other
metabolic functions, from the host cell.
They also parasitize the cell for basic building
materials, such as amino acids, nucleotides, and
lipids (fats).
SHAPE OF VIRUS
The shape of virus is determined by the capsid.
Viral capsid are generally either helical or
polyhedral or combination of both shapes
(complex).
Helical long rods or threads. e.g. tobacco
mosaic virus
Polyhedral spherical. e.g. adenovirus
However, the T4 phage consists of a polyhedral
head attached to a helical tail.
Helical virus
Resembles long rods and
their capsids are hollow
cylinders surrounding the
nucleic acid.
Polyhedral virus
Many animal, plant and bacterial polyhedral
viruses.
The shape of capsid icosahedron, a regular
polyhedron with 20 triangular faces and 12
corners.
Capsomeres of each faces equilateral
triangle
Example adenovirus, poliovirus.
Polyhedral virus
Combination shape
polyhedral head with helical
tail
Viruses are further classified into families and

genera based on three structural considerations:
1.The type and size of their nucleic acid,

2. The size and shape of the capsid, and
3. Whether they have a lipid envelope
surrounding the nucleocapsid or the capsid
enclosed nucleic acid.
1. DNA viruses
2. RNA viruses
10
2. RNA viruses
PHAGES (Bacterial virus)

Viruses that infect bacteria.
The most common structure of phages
consists of a long nucleic acid molecule
(usually DNA) coiled within a polyhedral
head.
Many phages have a tail attached to the
head. The fibers extending from the tail are
used to attach to a bacterium.
Exhibit two types of reproduction: lytic and
lysogenic cycle.
11
2.2 Lytic and Lysogenic life

cycles of bacteriophage
Lytic reproductive cycle

In lytic reproduction cycle, the virus lyses (destroys)
the host cell.
When the virus infects a susceptible host cell, it forces
the host to use its metabolic machinery to replicate
viral particles.
Viruses that have only lytic cycle are described as
virulent.
Five steps that are typical in lytic cycle are
attachment, penetration, replication, assembly and
release.
12
1) Attachment: Virus attaches to receptors on the host

(bacteria) cell wall.
2) Penetration: Nucleic acid of the virus move through
membrane and into the cytoplasm of the host.
3) Replication: Virus induces the host cell to synthesize the
necessary component for its replication.
4) Assembly: Newly synthesized viral components
assembled into new virus
5) Release: Assembled virus released from the cell. The host
cell is destroyed.
LYTIC CYCLE
13
Next
Lysogenic reproductive cycle

In contrast with virulent virus, temperate virus do not
always destroy their hosts.
In lysogenic cycle, the viral genome usually become
integrated into the host bacterial cell (referred to as
prophage).
When the bacterial DNA replicates, the prophage also
replicates.
Bacterial cells containing certain temperate viruses may
exhibit new properties.
There are 4 steps in lysogenic cycle.
14
1) Attachment: Virus attaches to receptors on the

host (bacteria) cell wall.
2) Penetration: Nucleic acid of the virus move
through membrane and into the cytoplasm of the
host.
3) Integration: Phage DNA integrates into
bacterial DNA and become prophage.
4) Replication: The integrated prophage replicates
when bacterial DNA replicates.
15
Lytic Vs. Lysogenic Cycle
ANIMAL VIRUS
Hundreds of different viruses infect human and
other animals.
Most virus cannot survive outside a living host
cell, so their survival depends on their being
transmitted from animal to animal.
The type of attachment proteins on the surface
determines what type of cell it can infect.
e.g. human cell only, or sometimes its more
specific, e.g. brain cell only.
16
How virus penetrate animal

cell?
Virus have several ways to penetrate animal cells:
1) Membrane fusion: Viral envelope fuses with
plasma membrane and release virus into cytoplasm.
2) Endocytosis: The hosts plasma membrane
invaginates to form a membrane-bound vesicle that
contain virus.
Virus that infect animal cells can multiply and produce new
particles. When viral DNA/RNA/protein are synthesized, the
host DNA/RNA/protein are inhibited.
DNA and RNA virus

Basically animal virus is categorized into DNA
virus and RNA virus; depending on their nucleic
acid type.
1) DNA virus
e.g. poxvirus, adenovirus.
The synthesis of viral DNA and protein is similar
to the host process of synthesizing its own DNA
and protein.
17
2) RNA virus
RNA replication and transcription is take place
with the help of RNA polymerase.
However, certain RNA virus called retrovirus have
DNA polymerase called reverse transcriptase used
to transcribe RNA into DNA intermediate.
This DNA becomes integrated into host DNA.
Copies of viral RNA are synthesized as the
incorporated DNA is transcribed by host RNA
polymerase.
After viral genes are transcribed, the viral

structural protein are synthesized.
Capsid is produced, and new virus particles are
assembled.
For virus without envelope, the host membrane
ruptured, releasing new virus particle.
Enveloped virus receive their envelope by picking
up a fragment of the host plasma membrane
(lipoprotein) as they leave the cell.
18
The reproductive cycle of an enveloped RNA virus.
The structure of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS.

The envelope glycoproteins enable the virus to bind to
specific receptors on certain white blood cells.
19
The reproductive cycle of HIV, a retrovirus.
How virus damage their

host?
Animal viruses damage their host in a variety
ways:
1) May alter the permeability of plasma
membrane.
2) May inhibit synthesis of host nucleic acid
or proteins.
3) Damage cell by their sheer numbers (e.g.
poliovirus produces 100,000 new viruses
within a single host cell).
20
Diseases cause by animal

virus
- Hog cholera
- Rubella
- Foot-and-mouth disease - Chickenpox
- Canine distemper
- Warts
- Swine influenza
- Mumps
- Certain types of cancer - Colds
- AIDS
- Hepatitis
- Ebola (emerging virus*)
*Emerging virus are virus that can strike quickly
and brings fatal diseases that either new to human
population or unpredictably cause an epidemic.
PLANT VIRUS
Plant cells cannot be penetrated by virus because of
the thick cell wall unless the cells are damaged.
As insects e.g. aphids and leafhoppers feed on plant
tissues, they brings virus and spread it among
plants.
The viruses then can be inherited by infected seed or
asexual propagation.
Once a plant cell is infected, the virus spreads through
the plant body.
21
Symptoms of viral infection include reduced plant

size, spots, streaks, or mottled patterns on
leaves, flowers or fruits.
Infected crop almost produce lower yields.
Cures are not known for most plant viral diseases,
so it is common to burn plant that have been
infected.
NEXT
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2.3 Viriods and Prions
VIROIDS AND PRIONS

Viroids and prions are smaller than virus.
Viroids have no protein, consists of very short strand
of RNA (250-400 nucleotides), no protective protein
coat. It can infect plants and animals.
Viroids DO NOT encode protein - replicate in host

cell using cellular enzymes.
Viriods cause error in regulatory system that control
plant growth.eg: abnormal development and stunted
growth.
23
Prions is a protein-like infectious pathogen that could exists

and transfer information without nucleic acids.
It forms of protein particles that may increase in number by
converting related proteins to more prions.
Usually infected animals including human.
Prions (infectious protein) cause degenerative brain diseases in
animals sp.
It is thought to be responsible for some neurological diseases such as a group

of transmissible and/or inherited neurodegenerative diseases including
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans (death of the brains nerve cells) mad cow
disease, scrapie in sheep and goats and kuru.
Kuru infects its victims when they eat the brain tissue of the victims.
The mad cow disease that was first detected in England and parts of Europe a
few years ago is in fact a new prion disease and it has caused the use of beef in
Britain to fall precipitously.
Most likely transmitted in food.
Why prions are fatal to animal/human?
24
Because.
Prions are very slow-acting agents incubation period
until symptoms appear is around 10 years.
Virtually indestructible they are not destroyed of
deactivated by heating (normal cooking temp.)
No cure so far for prions diseases.
25
VIRUS????
VIRIODS???
PRIONS????
Thank you
26

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LESSON LEARNING OUTCOMES

Able to explain lytic and lysogenic life cycles

2.1 Structure and

Capsid made up of protein organized in subunits known as

Viruses are not cellular (acellular) and cannot

They cannot synthesize proteins, because they

Viruses are further classified into families and

1.The type and size of their nucleic acid,

PHAGES (Bacterial virus)

2.2 Lytic and Lysogenic life

Lytic reproductive cycle

1) Attachment: Virus attaches to receptors on the host

Lysogenic reproductive cycle

1) Attachment: Virus attaches to receptors on the

Lytic Vs. Lysogenic Cycle

How virus penetrate animal

DNA and RNA virus

After viral genes are transcribed, the viral

The reproductive cycle of an enveloped RNA virus.

The structure of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS.

The reproductive cycle of HIV, a retrovirus.

How virus damage their

Diseases cause by animal

Symptoms of viral infection include reduced plant

2.3 Viriods and Prions

VIROIDS AND PRIONS

Viroids DO NOT encode protein - replicate in host

Prions is a protein-like infectious pathogen that could exists

It is thought to be responsible for some neurological diseases such as a group

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