A2.3Theme A — Unity and diversity
Viruses — IB Biology HL Revision Notes & Topical Questions
5 min read 11 parts Lesson 9 of 14 2 quizzes
Curriculum Equation Key قوانين الرقم الهيدروجيني والاتزان الأيوني - pH & Acid-Base Equilibrium FormulasFast Exam Solution
pH = -log[H⁺] | pOH = -log[OH⁻] | pH + pOH = 14 | [H⁺][OH⁻] = 10⁻¹⁴
Word Equation & Conditions: الرقم الهيدروجيني = -لوغاريتم تركيز أيون الهيدروجين | pH + pOH = 14
Location & Specifications: الاتزان الأيوني، كيمياء 3 ثانوي، التحصيلي، و AP Chemistry.
Lesson summary
A2.3 Viruses — IB BIOLOGY HL notes: Describe virus structure, the lytic and lysogenic cycles, theories of origin and why viruses evolve rapidly.Status — viruses are acellular infectious particles, not living organisms, so they sit outside the three-domain system.Size — 20–300 nm,…
- Fixed size
- Nucleic acid core
- Missing features
- Lipid envelope
- Parasitism
- Host specificity
Section 1 of 11Structure common to all viruses
Structure common to all viruses
Status
- Status viruses are acellular infectious particles, not living organisms, so they sit outside the three-domain system.
Size
- 20–300 nm, much smaller than prokaryotic cells, so only an electron microscope shows them.
Fixed size
- Fixed size viruses contain few molecules and do not grow.
Nucleic acid core
- Nucleic acid core the genome is DNA or RNA, single or double stranded, linear or circular.
Capsid
- Capsid a protein coat, with attachment proteins on its outer surface for binding and entering host cells.
Missing features
- Missing features no cytoplasm, no metabolism, no respiration and very few or no enzymes.
Lipid envelope
- Lipid envelope some viruses have an outer layer, usually from the membrane phospholipids of the cell they were made in,
- which can be involved in cell recognition.
Parasitism
- Parasitism all viruses reproduce only inside living cells using the host's ribosomes and energy.
Section 2 of 11Diversity of virus structure
Diversity of virus structure
Variation
- Variation genetic material may be DNA or RNA, enveloped or not, in threadlike, polyhedral or spherical shapes.
Host specificity
- Host specificity attachment proteins decide which cell a virus infects, for example HIV infects white blood cells and hepatitis infects liver cells.
| Virus | Genome | Distinguishing structure |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteriophage lambda | Double-stranded DNA in the capsid head | Tail and fibrils attach to E. coli; the tail contracts and injects DNA through the cell wall |
| Coronavirus | Single-stranded RNA | Spherical, enveloped, with glycoproteins projecting to form a corona |
| HIV | Two RNA strands | Reverse transcriptase, protein capsid, lipid envelope with glycoprotein attachment proteins |
Section 3 of 11Coronaviruses and HIV
Coronaviruses
- Coronaviruses they cause respiratory disease in mammals and birds and spread by respiratory fluids.
- Examples are SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), MERS and SARS.
HIV
- HIV it is a retrovirus because reverse transcriptase makes DNA from viral RNA.
- The envelope's lipid bilayer comes from the membrane of the host helper T cell it left.
HIV transmission needs direct exchange of body fluids.
- Sexual intercourse.
- Blood donation.
- Sharing needles by intravenous drug users.
- Mother to child across the placenta, by mixing of blood at birth or through breast milk.
Section 4 of 11Lytic cycle
1Basis
- Basis viruses cannot divide, so they replicate only by infecting host cells.
2Requirements
- Requirements attach to a specific site, inject nucleic acid, use host protein synthesis machinery, assemble new particles and release them.
3
Steps
1
The virus attaches to the host cell membrane using attachment proteins.
2
It injects its nucleic acid into the cytoplasm.
3
The host's proteins and enzymes make new viral parts in biosynthesis.
4
Particles are assembled and mature into virions.
5
The host cell lyses, released by the virus-coded lysozyme enzyme, and virions infect further cells.
Section 5 of 11Lysogenic cycle
1Difference from lytic
- Difference from lytic new particles are not released immediately and disease does not follow at once.
2Integration
- Integration the viral nucleic acid combines with the host DNA.
3Latency
- Latency a viral gene for a repressor protein stops the viral DNA being transcribed and translated, and this period is lysogeny.
4Persistence
- Persistence the host cell divides normally, so later cells carry the viral nucleic acid in their genome.
5Trigger
- Trigger dormant viral DNA enters the lytic pathway when conditions change, such as exposure to UV rays or certain chemicals.
Section 6 of 11Origin of viruses
Age and coevolution
- Age and coevolution viruses infect nearly all species and may predate humans by 3.5 billion years.
Endogenous retroviruses
Endogenous retroviruses fragments of ancient viral DNA that make up about 8% of the human genome.
Evidence problem
- Evidence problem viruses do not fossilise, so evidence is limited.
| Theory | Proposal |
|---|---|
| Escape | Genetic elements gained the ability to move between cells and became surrounded by a boundary |
| Regressive (reduction) | Viruses were small cells that became parasites and lost unneeded structures |
| Virus-first | Viruses predate their cellular hosts because simple forms come before complex ones |
- Diversity
- viruses may have had different origins, and shared features suggest convergent evolution.
- All have a protein capsid and no cytoplasm.
- All have DNA or RNA using the standard genetic code.
- All are parasitic and need a host cell.
Section 7 of 11Rapid evolution of viruses
Rapid evolution
- Rapid evolution influenza viruses and HIV evolve quickly.
- They have high mutation rates, mostly because RNA is copied into DNA with errors during replication.
- They have large populations.
- They have short generation times.
Result
- Result they evolve quickly to evade the host immune system.
Section 8 of 11Antigenic drift and shift
| Feature | Antigenic drift | Antigenic shift |
|---|---|---|
| Change | Small changes accumulate in viral genes over time | Major change in a short time |
| Cause | Mutations slowly vary the surface proteins | Two or more virus types infect one cell and combine genetic material |
| Outcome | The immune system eventually fails to recognise the virus | A new virus appears that is not recognised |
| Example | HIV | Influenza |
Section 9 of 11Treating rapidly evolving viruses
Vaccines for drift
- Vaccines for drift they must be updated yearly, which works when changes are small.
HIV
- HIV drift is unusually rapid, so no vaccine has yet been successful.
Vaccines for shift
- Vaccines for shift they are less successful because changes are rapid and unpredictable.
Isolation
- Isolation infected individuals may need to be isolated to stop the spread of fast-evolving viruses.
Section 10 of 11Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Capsid | the protein coat of a virus. |
| Virion | a complete, fully functional virus particle. |
| Lytic cycle | replication ending with host cell lysis and release of virions. |
| Lysogeny | a latent phase where viral nucleic acid is integrated in the host genome. |
| Retrovirus | an RNA virus that uses reverse transcriptase to make DNA. |
| Endogenous retrovirus | viral DNA left in a host genome from ancient infections. |
| Antigenic drift | gradual accumulation of small changes in viral surface proteins. |
| Antigenic shift | sudden major change from the combination of genomes of different viruses. |
Section 11 of 11Exam technique
1
Viruses are living cells — they are acellular, cannot respire and cannot replicate without a host.
2
Viruses divide like cells — they are assembled from host machinery and released by lysis.
3
Lysogeny means the virus is gone — the viral DNA is integrated and dormant until a trigger.
4
Drift and shift are the same — drift is gradual mutation and shift is a sudden combination of genomes.
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