Unit 4 Notes

History
Latin word
1. “poison”
A. First discovered 1890’s

Sick Sample H20

Bacteria filter

Tobacco plant liquid

Bacteria free

Now sick Healthy plant

1. called a “filterable virus” for this unknown contaminant that was

smaller than a bacterium
2. created crystals from the contaminated liquid, the re-hydrate the
crystals. This could re-infect new plants.
3. 1930’s-Electron microscope allowed viruses to be seen for the first
time
a. TMV-Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Structure
Extremely small
1. 90 micrometer (average)
B made up of:
1. capsid
a. protein coat
2. DNA or RNA core
a. genetic information
3. Some viruses also have a membrane envelope from cells they are
leaving. This envelope helps the virus infect a new cell

I. Shape
A. Helical and rod-shaped
1. DNA core with protein capsid winding around it

DNA
 Protein

B. spherical
1. round
C. polyhedral
1. “many-sided”
• icosahedral
a. 20-sided
1. HIV
D. Bacteriophage

Protein capsid with DNA inside

Tail fibers

• talk fibers attach to specific receptor sites on the bacterium’s cell

wall
II. Replication
A. Viruses need cells to replicate! They can’t do this on their own.
1. “Obligate Intracellular Parasites”
B. Lytic Cycle
1. word-root
a. lyse
1. to split open
2. Attachment or Absorption
a. Attachment
1. Virus attaches itself to the host cell. Tail fibers (or
proteins) attach to a specific protein in the cell
membrane (receptor site)
b. Absorption
1. virus sinks through cell membrane into cell
3. Entry
a. Attachment
1. virus injects DNA (or RNA) into the cell. The
protein coat stays outside
b. Absorption
1. capsid dissolves inside cell and the DNA is released

4. Replication
a. Attachment
1. Viral DNA takes control of cell
b. Absorption
 1. viral DNA tells the cell to make more copies of
viral DNA and more capsids
* cell is now a virus factory
5. Assembly
a. virus capsids and DNA copies are put together into new
viruses
6. Release
a. Attachment
1. cell bursts open (“lyses”) and 100s new viruses are
released, ready to infect new cells
b. Absorption
1. the original infected cell does NOT burst, but the
viruses “bud” out of the cell by a form of exocytosis
called budding:

cell
virus

C. Lysogenic Cycle
1. a virus incorporates its DNA into a host’s DNA and then the DNA
becomes inactive for a period of time while the cell replicates and
lives normally
2. Cycle
a. Attachment or Absorption
1. Attachment
a. Virus attaches itself to the host cell. Tail
fibers (or proteins) attach to a specific
protein in the cell membrane (receptor site)
2. Absorption
a. virus sinks through cell membrane into cell
3. Entry
a. Attachment
1. virus injects DNA (or RNA) into the cell. The
protein coat stays outside
b. Absorption
1. capsid dissolves inside cell and the DNA is released
4. Incorporation
a. Viral DNA gets inserted into the host DNA

5. Replication
a. host cell reproduces with viral DNA in it
• No harm to our body
a. 100’s of 100’s of infected cells
cell

nucleus

viral DNA

6. External Stimulus
a. radiation exposure
1. sun
b. chemical exposure
c. Stress!
* Lowers your immune system
7. Lytic Cycle
a. 100’s of new viruses are released
* How does your body respond?
III. Fighting viral infections
A. natural immunity
1. first line of defense
a. skin
1. barrier
2. oils + sweat glands
a. somewhat acidic which can help to kill
bacteria
b. Mucous Membranes
1. sticky!
2. Contains enzymes that help destroy invaders
2. second line of defense
a. white blood cells
b. fever
c. inflammation
3. third line of defense
a. natural immunity
1. b cell response
a. type of WBC
1. virus enters your body
2. B cell recognizes the foreign marker
protein as not belonging
 3. Special b cell called plasma cell
makes antibodies specifically for that
virus to mark it

4. WBC called macrophages “eat” the

marked viruses in a type of
endocytosis called Phagocytosis
Macrophage

V V V

5. This causes another B cell called a

Memory cell to remember that
particular virus. If that kind of virus
enters the body again, antibodies are
immediately made and the virus is
destroyed much more quickly

b. T Cell response
1. more WBC’s
a. virus enters the body and
infects a cell
 b. the infected cell takes virus
marker proteins and sticks on
the outside of the cell. This
tells other WBCs that “I’m
infected!”
c. killer T cells have receptor
proteins which bind to
infected cell
d. killer T cells then destroy the
cell, preventing the virus
from replicating in that cell
B. Immune response key facts
1. once you make a certain antibody, you should remember them
forever
2. first exposure
a. slower response
3. second exposure to that same virus
a. much faster immune response
C. Graph of the Primary + Secondary Immune Responses

Primary Immune Response Secondary Immune Response

# of
anti- well You may
bodies not know!

sick!

First exposure to a virus Time Same virus attacks again

IV. Artificial Immunity

A. Vaccine
1. a solution containing weakened or inactive virus (or bacterium)
 Virus

B. The vaccine causes your body’s B cell to make antibodies. Your memory
(plasma) cells remember this virus or bacterium for a long time, perhaps
forever
V. 3 Types of Viruses
A. DNA
1. harder to mutate
2. easier to make vaccines for
B. RNA
1. easier to mutate
2. harder to make a vaccine
C. retrovirus
1. begins with RNA
2. is changed to DNA