Unit 9: Virology
Study of viruses, complexes of nucleic
acids and proteins that have the capacity for
replication in animal, plant and bacterial cells
To replicate themselves, viruses usurp
functions of the host cells on which they are
parasites
All viruses are obligate intracellular
parasites
Replication inside a host cell leads to
the release of virus particles
These particles (called virions) have no
metabolism and no organelles
They carry all the genetic information
necessary for the generation of more virus
particles after infection of a new host cell
Virus sizes range from 20 to 450 nm
Chemical Composition of Viruses
Virus is a minute nucleoprotien particle
consist of a central core of nucleic acid (DNA
or RNA either linear or circular in shape) and
protienaceous coat which surround the
nucleic acid
Protien coat or capsid is made up of many
structural identical units called capsomeres
Composition, number and structure of
viruses are different from each other
Virus Structure
Some viruses are also
enclosed by an envelope of
fat and protein molecules
In its infective form, outside
the cell, a virus particle is
called a virion
Each virion contains at least
one unique protein
synthesized by specific genes
in its nucleic acid
Viroids (meaning "viruslike") are disease- causing
organisms that contain only nucleic acid and have no
structural proteins
Other virus like particles called prions are
composed primarily of a protein tightly integrated
with a small nucleic acid molecule
Virus has a "tail" which it attaches to the
bacterium surface by means of proteinaceous "pins"
Tail contracts and the tail plug penetrates the cell
wall and underlying membrane, injecting the viral
nucleic acids into the cell
Capsid is the protein shell
that encloses the nucleic
acid, called the
nucleocapsid
This shell is composed of
protein organized in
subunits known as
capsomers
Capsid has three functions –
It protects the nucleic acid from digestion
by enzymes
It contains special sites on its surface that
allow the virion to attach to a host cell
It provides proteins that enable the virion
to penetrate the host cell membrane and, in
some cases, to inject the infectious nucleic acid
into the cell's cytoplasm
CLASSIFICATION
Viruses can be classified according to the host
cell they infect –
Animal viruses
Plant viruses
Fungal viruses and
Bacteriophages (viruses infecting bacteria,
which include the most complex viruses)
Most useful and widely used classification
system distinguishes viruses according to the type of
nucleic acid they use as genetic material –
DNA viruses (divided into double-stranded DNA
viruses and single-stranded DNA viruses),
RNA viruses (divided into positive-sense single-
stranded RNA viruses, negative-sense single- stranded
RNA viruses and the much less common double-stranded
RNA viruses),
Reverse transcribing viruses (double-stranded
reverse-transcribing DNA viruses and single-stranded
reverse-transcribing RNA viruses including retroviruses)
Baltimore Classification
Classified viruses into one of seven groups depending on
a combination of their nucleic acid (DNA or RNA),
strandedness (single-stranded or double-stranded),
sense, and method of replication
Viruses can be placed in one of the seven following groups -
I. dsDNA viruses (e.g. Adenoviruses, Herpesviruses, Poxviruses)
II. ssDNA viruses (+) sense DNA (e.g. Parvoviruses)
III. dsRNA viruses (e.g. Reoviruses)
IV. (+)ssRNA viruses (+)sense RNA (e.g. Picornaviruses, Togaviruses)
V. (−)ssRNA viruses (−)sense RNA (e.g. Orthomyxoviruses, Rhabdoviruses)
VI. ssRNA-RT viruses (+)sense RNA with DNA intermediate in life-cycle
(e.g. Retroviruses)
VII. dsDNA-RT viruses (e.g. Hepadnaviruses)
DNA Viruses
Group I: viruses possess double-stranded DNA
Group II: viruses possess single-stranded DNA
Examples Virion Capsid
Virus Family Nucleic acid type Group
(common names) naked/enveloped Symmetry
Adenovirus,
Adenoviridae .1 Infectious canine Naked Icosahedral ds I
hepatitis virus
.2 Papillomavirus Naked Icosahedral ds circular I
Papillomavirida
e
Parvovirus B19,
Parvoviridae .3 Naked Icosahedral ss II
Canine parvovirus
Herpes simplex virus,
.4 varicella-zoster virus,
Enveloped Icosahedral ds I
Herpesviridae cytomegalovirus,
Epstein-Barr virus
Smallpox virus, cow
pox virus, sheep pox
Poxviridae .5 virus, orf virus, Complex coats Complex ds I
monkey pox virus,
vaccinia virus
.6 Hepatitis B virus Enveloped Icosahedral circular, partially ds VII
Hepadnaviridae
Polyoma virus; JC
virus (progressive
.7 multifocal Naked Icosahedral ds circular I
Polyomaviridae leukoencephalopathy
)
RNA Viruses
Virus Family Examples (common Capsid Capsid Nucleic acid type Group
names) naked/enveloped Symmetry
Reoviridae .1 Rotavirus ,Reovirus Naked Icosahedral ds III
,Enterovirus
,Rhinovirus
,Hepatovirus
,Cardiovirus
,Aphthovirus
Picornaviridae .2 ,Poliovirus Naked Icosahedral ss IV
,Parechovirus
,Erbovirus
,Kobuvirus
,Teschovirus
Coxsackie
Caliciviridae .3 Norwalk virus Naked Icosahedral ss IV
Togaviridae .4 Rubella virus Enveloped Icosahedral ss IV
Lymphocytic
Arenaviridae .5 choriomeningitis Enveloped Complex )-(ss V
virus
,Dengue virus
Flaviviridae .6 ,virus Hepatitis C Enveloped Icosahedral ss IV
Yellow fever virus
,Influenzavirus A
,Influenzavirus B
.7 Enveloped Helical V
,Influenzavirus C )-(ss
Orthomyxoviridae
,Isavirus
Thogotovirus
,Measles virus
,Mumps virus
ParamyxoviridaeRespiratory
.8 syncyti Enveloped Helical )-(ss V
al virus
,Rinderpest virus ,
Canine distemper v
California
irus encephal Enveloped Helical V
Bunyaviridaeitis
.9 virus )-(ss
Rhabdoviridae .10 Hantavirus
Rabies virus, Enveloped Helical )-(ss V
,Ebola virus Enveloped Helical V
Filoviridae .11 )-(ss
Marburg virus
Coronaviridae .12 Corona virus Enveloped Helical ss IV
Astroviridae .13 Astrovirus Naked Icosahedral ss IV
Reverse Transcribing Viruses
Group VI: viruses possess single-stranded RNA
genomes and replicate using reverse
transcriptase
Retroviruses are included in this group, of
which HIV is a member
Group VII: viruses possess double-stranded
DNA genomes and replicate using reverse
transcriptase
Hepatitis B virus can be found in this group
Structure, Function, and Uses
A virus is a small parasite that cannot
reproduce by itself
Once it infects a susceptible cell, however,
a virus can direct the cell machinery to
produce more viruses
Entire infectious virus particle, called a
virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an
outer shell of protein
Simplest viruses contain only enough RNA or
DNA to encode four proteins
Most complex can encode 100 – 200 proteins
In many cases, DNA viruses utilize cellular
enzymes for synthesis of their DNA genomes
and mRNAs
All viruses utilize normal cellular
ribosomes, tRNAs, and translation factors for
synthesis of their proteins
Most viruses utilize the cellular machinery
for macromolecular synthesis during the late
phase of infection, directing it to synthesize
large amounts of a small number of viral
mRNAs and proteins instead of the thousands
of normal cellular macromolecules
For more details and all examinations,
please go through this reference -
1. Medical Microbiology (7th edition)
Authors - Murray, Rosenthal, Pfaller
Page No.: 393-398
THANK YOU
