84-396: See text Negative-strand RNA viruses ( −ssRNA viruses ) are a group of related viruses that have negative-sense , single-stranded genomes made of ribonucleic acid (RNA). They have genomes that act as complementary strands from which messenger RNA (mRNA) is synthesized by the viral enzyme RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). During replication of the viral genome, RdRp synthesizes
168-425: A virion , consists of nucleic acid surrounded by a protective coat of protein called a capsid . These are formed from protein subunits called capsomeres . Viruses can have a lipid "envelope" derived from the host cell membrane . The capsid is made from proteins encoded by the viral genome and its shape serves as the basis for morphological distinction. Virally-coded protein subunits will self-assemble to form
252-622: A basic optical microscope. In 2013, the Pandoravirus genus was discovered in Chile and Australia, and has genomes about twice as large as Megavirus and Mimivirus. All giant viruses have dsDNA genomes and they are classified into several families: Mimiviridae , Pithoviridae, Pandoraviridae , Phycodnaviridae , and the Mollivirus genus. Some viruses that infect Archaea have complex structures unrelated to any other form of virus, with
336-464: A cap on viral mRNA or snatches a cap from host mRNA and attaches that cap to viral mRNA. Within the phylum, −ssRNA viruses that infect arthropods appear to be basal and the ancestors of all other −ssRNA viruses. Arthropods frequently live together in large groups, which allows for viruses to be transmitted easily. Over time, this has led to arthropod −ssRNA viruses gaining a high level of diversity. While arthropods host large quantities of viruses, there
420-418: A capsid diameter of 400 nm. Protein filaments measuring 100 nm project from the surface. The capsid appears hexagonal under an electron microscope, therefore the capsid is probably icosahedral. In 2011, researchers discovered the largest then known virus in samples of water collected from the ocean floor off the coast of Las Cruces, Chile. Provisionally named Megavirus chilensis , it can be seen with
504-581: A capsid, in general requiring the presence of the virus genome. Complex viruses code for proteins that assist in the construction of their capsid. Proteins associated with nucleic acid are known as nucleoproteins , and the association of viral capsid proteins with viral nucleic acid is called a nucleocapsid. The capsid and entire virus structure can be mechanically (physically) probed through atomic force microscopy . In general, there are five main morphological virus types: The poxviruses are large, complex viruses that have an unusual morphology. The viral genome
588-639: A cellular structure, which is often seen as the basic unit of life. Viruses do not have their own metabolism and require a host cell to make new products. They therefore cannot naturally reproduce outside a host cell —although some bacteria such as rickettsia and chlamydia are considered living organisms despite the same limitation. Accepted forms of life use cell division to reproduce, whereas viruses spontaneously assemble within cells. They differ from autonomous growth of crystals as they inherit genetic mutations while being subject to natural selection. Virus self-assembly within host cells has implications for
672-572: A combined six classes, five of which are monotypic down to lower taxa: Negative-strand RNA viruses are classified as Group V in the Baltimore classification system, which groups viruses together based on their manner of mRNA production and which is often used alongside standard virus taxonomy, which is based on evolutionary history. Therefore, Group V and Negarnaviricota are synonymous. Negative-strand RNA viruses caused many widely known diseases. Many of these are transmitted by arthropods, including
756-493: A different DNA (or RNA) molecule. This can occur when viruses infect cells simultaneously and studies of viral evolution have shown that recombination has been rampant in the species studied. Recombination is common to both RNA and DNA viruses. Coronaviruses have a single-strand positive-sense RNA genome. Replication of the genome is catalyzed by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase . The mechanism of recombination used by coronaviruses likely involves template switching by
840-559: A few species, or broad for viruses capable of infecting many. Viral infections in animals provoke an immune response that usually eliminates the infecting virus. Immune responses can also be produced by vaccines , which confer an artificially acquired immunity to the specific viral infection. Some viruses, including those that cause HIV/AIDS , HPV infection , and viral hepatitis , evade these immune responses and result in chronic infections. Several classes of antiviral drugs have been developed. The English word "virus" comes from
924-549: A fluid, by Wendell Meredith Stanley , and the invention of the electron microscope in 1931 allowed their complex structures to be visualised. Scientific opinions differ on whether viruses are a form of life or organic structures that interact with living organisms. They have been described as "organisms at the edge of life", since they resemble organisms in that they possess genes , evolve by natural selection , and reproduce by creating multiple copies of themselves through self-assembly. Although they have genes, they do not have
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#17327805265771008-445: A genome size of only two kilobases; the largest—the pandoraviruses —have genome sizes of around two megabases which code for about 2500 proteins. Virus genes rarely have introns and often are arranged in the genome so that they overlap . In general, RNA viruses have smaller genome sizes than DNA viruses because of a higher error-rate when replicating, and have a maximum upper size limit. Beyond this, errors when replicating render
1092-513: A ladder. The virus particles of some virus families, such as those belonging to the Hepadnaviridae , contain a genome that is partially double-stranded and partially single-stranded. For most viruses with RNA genomes and some with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genomes, the single strands are said to be either positive-sense (called the 'plus-strand') or negative-sense (called the 'minus-strand'), depending on if they are complementary to
1176-436: A life form, because they carry genetic material, reproduce, and evolve through natural selection , although they lack some key characteristics, such as cell structure, that are generally considered necessary criteria for defining life. Because they possess some but not all such qualities, viruses have been described as "organisms at the edge of life" and as replicators . Viruses spread in many ways. One transmission pathway
1260-472: A limited range of hosts and many are species-specific. Some, such as smallpox virus for example, can infect only one species—in this case humans, and are said to have a narrow host range . Other viruses, such as rabies virus, can infect different species of mammals and are said to have a broad range. The viruses that infect plants are harmless to animals, and most viruses that infect other animals are harmless to humans. The host range of some bacteriophages
1344-449: A non-bacterial pathogen infecting tobacco plants and the discovery of the tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 11,000 of the millions of virus species have been described in detail. The study of viruses is known as virology , a subspeciality of microbiology . When infected, a host cell is often forced to rapidly produce thousands of copies of the original virus. When not inside an infected cell or in
1428-427: A positive-sense antigenome that it uses as a template to create genomic negative-sense RNA. Negative-strand RNA viruses also share a number of other characteristics: most contain a viral envelope that surrounds the capsid, which encases the viral genome, −ssRNA virus genomes are usually linear, and it is common for their genome to be segmented. Negative-strand RNA viruses constitute the phylum Negarnaviricota , in
1512-408: A prime target for natural selection. Segmented genomes confer evolutionary advantages; different strains of a virus with a segmented genome can shuffle and combine genes and produce progeny viruses (or offspring) that have unique characteristics. This is called reassortment or 'viral sex'. Genetic recombination is a process by which a strand of DNA (or RNA) is broken and then joined to the end of
1596-412: A single viral particle that is released from the cell and is capable of infecting other cells of the same type. Viruses are found wherever there is life and have probably existed since living cells first evolved . The origin of viruses is unclear because they do not form fossils, so molecular techniques are used to infer how they arose. In addition, viral genetic material occasionally integrates into
1680-460: A small part of the total diversity of viruses has been studied. As of 2022, 6 realms, 10 kingdoms, 17 phyla, 2 subphyla, 40 classes, 72 orders, 8 suborders, 264 families, 182 subfamilies , 2,818 genera, 84 subgenera , and 11,273 species of viruses have been defined by the ICTV. The general taxonomic structure of taxon ranges and the suffixes used in taxonomic names are shown hereafter. As of 2022,
1764-605: A wide diversity of sizes and shapes, called ' morphologies '. In general, viruses are much smaller than bacteria and more than a thousand bacteriophage viruses would fit inside an Escherichia coli bacterium's cell. Many viruses that have been studied are spherical and have a diameter between 20 and 300 nanometres . Some filoviruses , which are filaments, have a total length of up to 1400 nm; their diameters are only about 80 nm. Most viruses cannot be seen with an optical microscope , so scanning and transmission electron microscopes are used to visualise them. To increase
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#17327805265771848-553: A wide variety of unusual shapes, ranging from spindle-shaped structures to viruses that resemble hooked rods, teardrops or even bottles. Other archaeal viruses resemble the tailed bacteriophages, and can have multiple tail structures. An enormous variety of genomic structures can be seen among viral species ; as a group, they contain more structural genomic diversity than plants, animals, archaea, or bacteria. There are millions of different types of viruses, although fewer than 7,000 types have been described in detail. As of January 2021,
1932-416: Is a feature of many bacterial and some animal viruses. Some viruses undergo a lysogenic cycle where the viral genome is incorporated by genetic recombination into a specific place in the host's chromosome. The viral genome is then known as a " provirus " or, in the case of bacteriophages a " prophage ". Whenever the host divides, the viral genome is also replicated. The viral genome is mostly silent within
2016-405: Is a major change in the genome of the virus. This can be a result of recombination or reassortment . The Influenza A virus is highly prone to reassortment; occasionally this has resulted in novel strains which have caused pandemics . RNA viruses often exist as quasispecies or swarms of viruses of the same species but with slightly different genome nucleoside sequences. Such quasispecies are
2100-464: Is a prominent trait among many −ssRNA viruses, and −ssRNA viruses range from having genomes with one segment, typical for members of the order Mononegavirales , to genomes with ten segments, as is the case for Tilapia tilapinevirus . There is no clear trend over time that determines the number of segments, and genome segmentation among −ssRNA viruses appears to be a flexible trait since it has evolved independently on multiple occasions. Most members of
2184-400: Is associated with proteins within a central disc structure known as a nucleoid . The nucleoid is surrounded by a membrane and two lateral bodies of unknown function. The virus has an outer envelope with a thick layer of protein studded over its surface. The whole virion is slightly pleomorphic , ranging from ovoid to brick-shaped. Mimivirus is one of the largest characterised viruses, with
2268-439: Is caused by cessation of its normal activities because of suppression by virus-specific proteins, not all of which are components of the virus particle. The distinction between cytopathic and harmless is gradual. Some viruses, such as Epstein–Barr virus , can cause cells to proliferate without causing malignancy, while others, such as papillomaviruses , are established causes of cancer. Some viruses cause no apparent changes to
2352-435: Is constructed, the mRNA is released by RdRp. In genomes that encode more than one transcribable portion, RdRp can continue scanning to the next start sequence to continue with transcription. Some −ssRNA viruses are ambisense , meaning that both the negative genomic strand and positive antigenome separately encode different proteins. In order to transcribe ambisense viruses, two rounds of transcription are performed: first, mRNA
2436-512: Is correct. It seems unlikely that all currently known viruses have a common ancestor, and viruses have probably arisen numerous times in the past by one or more mechanisms. The first evidence of the existence of viruses came from experiments with filters that had pores small enough to retain bacteria. In 1892, Dmitri Ivanovsky used one of these filters to show that sap from a diseased tobacco plant remained infectious to healthy tobacco plants despite having been filtered. Martinus Beijerinck called
2520-613: Is disagreement about the degree to which cross-species transmission of arthropod −ssRNA viruses occurs among arthropods. Plant and vertebrate −ssRNA viruses tend to be genetically related to arthropod-infected viruses. Furthermore, most −ssRNA viruses outside of arthropods are found in species that interact with arthropods. Arthropods therefore serve as both key hosts and vectors of transmission of −ssRNA viruses. In terms of transmission, non-arthropod −ssRNA viruses can be distinguished between those that are reliant on arthropods for transmission and those that can circulate among vertebrates without
2604-507: Is first recorded in 1728, long before the discovery of viruses by Dmitri Ivanovsky in 1892. The English plural is viruses (sometimes also vira ), whereas the Latin word is a mass noun , which has no classically attested plural ( vīra is used in Neo-Latin ). The adjective viral dates to 1948. The term virion (plural virions ), which dates from 1959, is also used to refer to
Negative-strand RNA virus - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-607: Is identical in sequence to the viral mRNA and is thus a coding strand, while negative-sense viral ssDNA is complementary to the viral mRNA and is thus a template strand. Several types of ssDNA and ssRNA viruses have genomes that are ambisense in that transcription can occur off both strands in a double-stranded replicative intermediate. Examples include geminiviruses , which are ssDNA plant viruses and arenaviruses , which are ssRNA viruses of animals. Genome size varies greatly between species. The smallest—the ssDNA circoviruses, family Circoviridae —code for only two proteins and have
2772-431: Is limited to a single strain of bacteria and they can be used to trace the source of outbreaks of infections by a method called phage typing . The complete set of viruses in an organism or habitat is called the virome ; for example, all human viruses constitute the human virome . A novel virus is one that has not previously been recorded. It can be a virus that is isolated from its natural reservoir or isolated as
2856-463: Is produced directly from the genome; second, mRNA is created from the antigenome. All ambisense viruses contain a hairpin loop structure to stop transcription after the protein's mRNA has been transcribed. Negative-strand RNA viruses contain a ribonucleoprotein complex composed of the genome and an RdRp attached to each segment of the genome surrounded by a capsid. The capsid is composed of proteins whose folded structure contains five alpha-helices in
2940-503: Is the suffix used for virus subphyla. The subphylum Polyploviricotina follows the same pattern, Polyplo being taken from Ancient Greek πολύπλοκος, meaning complex. All viruses in Negarnaviricota are negative-sense, single-stranded RNA (−ssRNA) viruses. They have genomes made of RNA, which are single instead of double-stranded. Their genomes are negative sense, meaning that messenger RNA (mRNA) can be synthesized directly from
3024-475: Is through disease-bearing organisms known as vectors : for example, viruses are often transmitted from plant to plant by insects that feed on plant sap , such as aphids ; and viruses in animals can be carried by blood-sucking insects. Many viruses spread in the air by coughing and sneezing, including influenza viruses , SARS-CoV-2 , chickenpox , smallpox , and measles . Norovirus and rotavirus , common causes of viral gastroenteritis , are transmitted by
3108-477: The CD4 molecule—a chemokine receptor —which is most commonly found on the surface of CD4+ T-Cells . This mechanism has evolved to favour those viruses that infect only cells in which they are capable of replication. Attachment to the receptor can induce the viral envelope protein to undergo changes that result in the fusion of viral and cellular membranes, or changes of non-enveloped virus surface proteins that allow
3192-539: The Ebola virus , hantaviruses , influenza viruses , the Lassa fever virus , and the rabies virus . Negarnaviricota takes the first part of its name from Latin nega , meaning negative, the middle part rna refers to RNA, and the final part, viricota , is the suffix used for virus phyla. The subphylum Haploviricotina takes the first part of its name, Haplo , from Ancient Greek ἁπλός, meaning simple, and 'viricotina
3276-499: The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) was formed. The system proposed by Lwoff, Horne and Tournier was initially not accepted by the ICTV because the small genome size of viruses and their high rate of mutation made it difficult to determine their ancestry beyond order. As such, the Baltimore classification system has come to be used to supplement the more traditional hierarchy. Starting in 2018,
3360-690: The Latin vīrus , which refers to poison and other noxious liquids. Vīrus comes from the same Indo-European root as Sanskrit viṣa , Avestan vīša , and Ancient Greek ἰός ( iós ), which all mean "poison". The first attested use of "virus" in English appeared in 1398 in John Trevisa 's translation of Bartholomeus Anglicus 's De Proprietatibus Rerum . Virulent , from Latin virulentus ('poisonous'), dates to c. 1400 . A meaning of 'agent that causes infectious disease'
3444-582: The N-terminal lobe (5-H motif) and three alpha-helices in the C-terminal lobe (3-H motif). Inside the capsid, the genome is sandwiched between these two motifs. Excluding the family Aspiviridae , −ssRNA viruses contain an outer viral envelope , a type of a lipid membrane that surrounds the capsid. The shape of the virus particle, called a virion, of −ssRNA viruses varies and may be filamentous, pleomorphic, spherical, or tubular. Genome segmentation
Negative-strand RNA virus - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-490: The NCBI Virus genome database has more than 193,000 complete genome sequences, but there are doubtlessly many more to be discovered. A virus has either a DNA or an RNA genome and is called a DNA virus or an RNA virus , respectively. Most viruses have RNA genomes. Plant viruses tend to have single-stranded RNA genomes and bacteriophages tend to have double-stranded DNA genomes. Viral genomes are circular, as in
3612-459: The Rift Valley fever virus and the tomato spotted wilt virus . Among vertebrates, bats and rodents are common vectors for many viruses, including the Ebola virus and the rabies virus , transmitted by bats and other vertebrates, and the Lassa fever virus and hantaviruses , transmitted by rodents. Influenza viruses are common among birds and mammals. Human-specific −ssRNA viruses include
3696-539: The common cold , influenza , chickenpox , and cold sores . Many serious diseases such as rabies , Ebola virus disease , AIDS (HIV) , avian influenza , and SARS are caused by viruses. The relative ability of viruses to cause disease is described in terms of virulence . Other diseases are under investigation to discover if they have a virus as the causative agent, such as the possible connection between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) and neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome . There
3780-422: The faecal–oral route , passed by hand-to-mouth contact or in food or water. The infectious dose of norovirus required to produce infection in humans is fewer than 100 particles. HIV is one of several viruses transmitted through sexual contact and by exposure to infected blood. The variety of host cells that a virus can infect is called its host range : this is narrow for viruses specialized to infect only
3864-430: The germline of the host organisms, by which they can be passed on vertically to the offspring of the host for many generations. This provides an invaluable source of information for paleovirologists to trace back ancient viruses that existed as far back as millions of years ago. There are three main hypotheses that aim to explain the origins of viruses: In the past, there were problems with all of these hypotheses:
3948-457: The polyomaviruses , or linear, as in the adenoviruses . The type of nucleic acid is irrelevant to the shape of the genome. Among RNA viruses and certain DNA viruses, the genome is often divided into separate parts, in which case it is called segmented. For RNA viruses, each segment often codes for only one protein and they are usually found together in one capsid. All segments are not required to be in
4032-447: The three domains . This discovery has led modern virologists to reconsider and re-evaluate these three classical hypotheses. The evidence for an ancestral world of RNA cells and computer analysis of viral and host DNA sequences give a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships between different viruses and may help identify the ancestors of modern viruses. To date, such analyses have not proved which of these hypotheses
4116-527: The ICTV began to acknowledge deeper evolutionary relationships between viruses that have been discovered over time and adopted a 15-rank classification system ranging from realm to species. Additionally, some species within the same genus are grouped into a genogroup . The ICTV developed the current classification system and wrote guidelines that put a greater weight on certain virus properties to maintain family uniformity. A unified taxonomy (a universal system for classifying viruses) has been established. Only
4200-444: The aid of arthropods. The latter group is likely to have originated from the former, adapting to vertebrate-only transmission. Negarnaviricota belongs to the kingdom Orthornavirae , which encompasses all RNA viruses that encode RdRp, and the realm Riboviria , which includes Orthornavirae as well as all viruses that encode reverse transcriptase in the kingdom Pararnavirae . Negarnaviricota contains two subphyla, which contain
4284-399: The antigenome and synthesizes a copy of the genome while using the antigenome as a template. Replication is executed while the genome is inside the nucleocapsid, and RdRp unveils the capsid and translocates along the genome during replication. As new nucleotide sequences are synthesized by RdRp, capsid proteins are assembled and encapsidate the newly replicate viral RNA. Transcribing mRNA from
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#17327805265774368-489: The basis of similarities. In 1962, André Lwoff , Robert Horne , and Paul Tournier were the first to develop a means of virus classification, based on the Linnaean hierarchical system. This system based classification on phylum , class , order , family , genus , and species . Viruses were grouped according to their shared properties (not those of their hosts) and the type of nucleic acid forming their genomes. In 1966,
4452-410: The contrast between viruses and the background, electron-dense "stains" are used. These are solutions of salts of heavy metals, such as tungsten , that scatter the electrons from regions covered with the stain. When virions are coated with stain (positive staining), fine detail is obscured. Negative staining overcomes this problem by staining the background only. A complete virus particle, known as
4536-412: The environment. For −ssRNA viruses, this allowed for a large number of invertebrate, and especially arthropod, viruses to be identified, which helped to provide insight into the evolutionary history of −ssRNA viruses. Based on phylogenetic analysis of RdRp showing that −ssRNA viruses were descended from a common ancestor, Negarnaviricota and its two subphyla were established in 2018, and it was placed into
4620-431: The extreme of the ssRNA virus case. Viruses undergo genetic change by several mechanisms. These include a process called antigenic drift where individual bases in the DNA or RNA mutate to other bases. Most of these point mutations are "silent"—they do not change the protein that the gene encodes—but others can confer evolutionary advantages such as resistance to antiviral drugs . Antigenic shift occurs when there
4704-446: The filtered, infectious substance a "virus" and this discovery is considered to be the beginning of virology. The subsequent discovery and partial characterization of bacteriophages by Frederick Twort and Félix d'Herelle further catalyzed the field, and by the early 20th century many viruses had been discovered. In 1926, Thomas Milton Rivers defined viruses as obligate parasites. Viruses were demonstrated to be particles, rather than
4788-399: The form of single-stranded nucleoprotein complexes, through pores called plasmodesmata . Bacteria, like plants, have strong cell walls that a virus must breach to infect the cell. Given that bacterial cell walls are much thinner than plant cell walls due to their much smaller size, some viruses have evolved mechanisms that inject their genome into the bacterial cell across the cell wall, while
4872-445: The genome by the viral enzyme RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), also called RNA replicase, which is encoded by all −ssRNA viruses. Excluding viruses in the genus Tenuivirus and some in the family Chuviridae , all −ssRNA viruses have linear rather than circular genomes, and the genomes may be segmented or non-segmented. All −ssRNA genomes contain terminal inverted repeats , which are palindromic nucleotide sequences at each end of
4956-426: The genome follows the same directional pattern as producing the antigenome. At the leader sequence, RdRp synthesizes a 5-'end (usually pronounced "five prime end") triphosphate-leader RNA and either, in the case of the subphylum Haploviricotina , caps the 5'-end or, in the case of the subphylum Polyploviricotina , snatches a cap from a host mRNA and attaches it to the viral mRNA so that the mRNA can be translated by
5040-451: The genome. Replication of −ssRNA genomes is executed by RdRp, which initiates replication by binding to a leader sequence on the 3'-end (usually pronounced "three prime end") of the genome. RdRp then uses the negative sense genome as a template to synthesize a positive-sense antigenome. When replicating the antigenome, RdRp first binds to the trailer sequence on the 3'-end of the antigenome. Thereafter, RdRp ignores all transcription signals on
5124-404: The host cell's ribosomes . After capping the mRNA, RdRp initiates transcription at a gene start signal and later terminates transcription upon reaching a gene end signal. At the end of transcription, RdRp synthesizes a polyadenylated tail (poly (A) tail) consisting of hundreds of adenines in the mRNA's 3-end, which may be done by stuttering on a sequence of uracils . After the poly (A) tail
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#17327805265775208-406: The host. At some point, the provirus or prophage may give rise to the active virus, which may lyse the host cells. Enveloped viruses (e.g., HIV) typically are released from the host cell by budding . During this process, the virus acquires its envelope, which is a modified piece of the host's plasma or other, internal membrane. The genetic material within virus particles, and the method by which
5292-517: The infected cell. Cells in which the virus is latent and inactive show few signs of infection and often function normally. This causes persistent infections and the virus is often dormant for many months or years. This is often the case with herpes viruses . Viruses are by far the most abundant biological entities on Earth and they outnumber all the others put together. They infect all types of cellular life including animals, plants, bacteria and fungi . Different types of viruses can infect only
5376-563: The kingdom Orthornavirae and realm Riboviria . They are descended from a common ancestor that was a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus , and they are considered to be a sister clade of reoviruses , which are dsRNA viruses. Within the phylum, there are two major branches that form two subphyla: Haploviricotina , whose members are mostly non-segmented and which encode an RdRp that synthesizes caps on mRNA, and Polyploviricotina , whose members are segmented and which encode an RdRp that snatches caps from host mRNAs. A total of six classes in
5460-416: The material is replicated, varies considerably between different types of viruses. The range of structural and biochemical effects that viruses have on the host cell is extensive. These are called ' cytopathic effects '. Most virus infections eventually result in the death of the host cell. The causes of death include cell lysis, alterations to the cell's surface membrane and apoptosis . Often cell death
5544-424: The measles virus and the mumps virus . Many diseases caused by −ssRNA viruses have been known throughout history, including hantavirus infection, measles, and rabies. In modern history, some such as Ebola and influenza have caused deadly disease outbreaks. The vesicular stomatitis virus , first isolated in 1925 and one of the first animal viruses to be studied because it could be studied well in cell cultures ,
5628-461: The original virus. Their life cycle differs greatly between species, but there are six basic stages in their life cycle: Attachment is a specific binding between viral capsid proteins and specific receptors on the host cellular surface. This specificity determines the host range and type of host cell of a virus. For example, HIV infects a limited range of human leucocytes . This is because its surface protein, gp120 , specifically interacts with
5712-467: The phylum are recognized. Negative-strand RNA viruses are closely associated with arthropods and can be informally divided between those that are reliant on arthropods for transmission and those that are descended from arthropod viruses but can now replicate in vertebrates without the aid of arthropods. Prominent arthropod-borne −ssRNA viruses include the Rift Valley fever virus and the tomato spotted wilt virus . Notable vertebrate −ssRNA viruses include
5796-416: The polymerase during genome replication. This process appears to be an adaptation for coping with genome damage. Viral populations do not grow through cell division, because they are acellular. Instead, they use the machinery and metabolism of a host cell to produce multiple copies of themselves, and they assemble in the cell. When infected, the host cell is forced to rapidly produce thousands of copies of
5880-621: The process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent viral particles, or virions , consisting of (i) genetic material , i.e., long molecules of DNA or RNA that encode the structure of the proteins by which the virus acts; (ii) a protein coat, the capsid , which surrounds and protects the genetic material; and in some cases (iii) an outside envelope of lipids . The shapes of these virus particles range from simple helical and icosahedral forms to more complex structures. Most virus species have virions too small to be seen with an optical microscope and are one-hundredth
5964-965: The ranks of subrealm, subkingdom, and subclass are unused, whereas all other ranks are in use. The Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore devised the Baltimore classification system. The ICTV classification system is used in conjunction with the Baltimore classification system in modern virus classification. The Baltimore classification of viruses is based on the mechanism of mRNA production. Viruses must generate mRNAs from their genomes to produce proteins and replicate themselves, but different mechanisms are used to achieve this in each virus family. Viral genomes may be single-stranded (ss) or double-stranded (ds), RNA or DNA, and may or may not use reverse transcriptase (RT). In addition, ssRNA viruses may be either sense (+) or antisense (−). This classification places viruses into seven groups: Examples of common human diseases caused by viruses include
6048-422: The regressive hypothesis did not explain why even the smallest of cellular parasites do not resemble viruses in any way. The escape hypothesis did not explain the complex capsids and other structures on virus particles. The virus-first hypothesis contravened the definition of viruses in that they require host cells. Viruses are now recognised as ancient and as having origins that pre-date the divergence of life into
6132-484: The result of spread to an animal or human host where the virus had not been identified before. It can be an emergent virus , one that represents a new virus, but it can also be an extant virus that has not been previously identified . The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic is an example of a novel virus. Classification seeks to describe the diversity of viruses by naming and grouping them on
6216-451: The same virion for the virus to be infectious, as demonstrated by brome mosaic virus and several other plant viruses. A viral genome, irrespective of nucleic acid type, is almost always either single-stranded (ss) or double-stranded (ds). Single-stranded genomes consist of an unpaired nucleic acid, analogous to one-half of a ladder split down the middle. Double-stranded genomes consist of two complementary paired nucleic acids, analogous to
6300-462: The size of most bacteria. The origins of viruses in the evolutionary history of life are still unclear. Some viruses may have evolved from plasmids , which are pieces of DNA that can move between cells. Other viruses may have evolved from bacteria. In evolution, viruses are an important means of horizontal gene transfer , which increases genetic diversity in a way analogous to sexual reproduction . Viruses are considered by some biologists to be
6384-399: The structure-mediated self-assembly of the virus particles, some modification of the proteins often occurs. In viruses such as HIV, this modification (sometimes called maturation) occurs after the virus has been released from the host cell. Release – Viruses can be released from the host cell by lysis , a process that kills the cell by bursting its membrane and cell wall if present: this
6468-457: The study of the origin of life , as it lends further credence to the hypothesis that life could have started as self-assembling organic molecules . The virocell model first proposed by Patrick Forterre considers the infected cell to be the "living form" of viruses and that virus particles (virions) are analogous to spores . Although the living versus non-living debate continues, the virocell model has gained some acceptance. Viruses display
6552-466: The subphylum Haploviricotina are nonsegmented, whereas segmentation is universal in Polyploviricotina . Phylogenetic analysis based on RdRp shows that −ssRNA viruses are descended from a common ancestor and that they are likely a sister clade of reoviruses , which are dsRNA viruses. Within the phylum, there are two clear branches, assigned to two subphyla, based on whether RdRp synthesizes
6636-458: The then newly established realm Riboviria . Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism . Viruses infect all life forms , from animals and plants to microorganisms , including bacteria and archaea . Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and are the most numerous type of biological entity. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky 's 1892 article describing
6720-446: The viral messenger RNA (mRNA). Positive-sense viral RNA is in the same sense as viral mRNA and thus at least a part of it can be immediately translated by the host cell. Negative-sense viral RNA is complementary to mRNA and thus must be converted to positive-sense RNA by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase before translation. DNA nomenclature for viruses with genomic ssDNA is similar to RNA nomenclature, in that positive-strand viral ssDNA
6804-824: The viral capsid remains outside. Uncoating is a process in which the viral capsid is removed: This may be by degradation by viral enzymes or host enzymes or by simple dissociation; the end-result is the releasing of the viral genomic nucleic acid. Replication of viruses involves primarily multiplication of the genome. Replication involves the synthesis of viral messenger RNA (mRNA) from "early" genes (with exceptions for positive-sense RNA viruses), viral protein synthesis , possible assembly of viral proteins, then viral genome replication mediated by early or regulatory protein expression. This may be followed, for complex viruses with larger genomes, by one or more further rounds of mRNA synthesis: "late" gene expression is, in general, of structural or virion proteins. Assembly – Following
6888-503: The virus to enter. Penetration or viral entry follows attachment: Virions enter the host cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis or membrane fusion . The infection of plant and fungal cells is different from that of animal cells. Plants have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose , and fungi one of chitin, so most viruses can get inside these cells only after trauma to the cell wall. Nearly all plant viruses (such as tobacco mosaic virus) can also move directly from cell to cell, in
6972-460: The virus useless or uncompetitive. To compensate, RNA viruses often have segmented genomes—the genome is split into smaller molecules—thus reducing the chance that an error in a single-component genome will incapacitate the entire genome. In contrast, DNA viruses generally have larger genomes because of the high fidelity of their replication enzymes. Single-strand DNA viruses are an exception to this rule, as mutation rates for these genomes can approach
7056-400: Was identified as an −ssRNA virus, which was unique at the time because other RNA viruses that had been discovered were positive sense. In the early 21st century, the bovine disease rinderpest , caused by −ssRNA rinderpest virus, became the second disease to be eradicated, after smallpox , caused by a DNA virus. In the 21st century, viral metagenomics has become common to identify viruses in
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