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Pathogenic Viruses
Notes on How Pathogenic Viruses Work (Sompayrac)
60
Biology
12th Grade
07/06/2008

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Term
the smallest known human virus is...
Definition

hepatitis B

 

4 genes

Term
what makes people die of hepatitis B?
Definition

associated liver disease

Term
there are ____ number of viruses that cause diseaes in humans
Definition
50
Term
why can't a virus simply start pumping out copies of itself once it has hijacked the cell?
Definition

stopped growing up

 

most adult cells are no longer replicateing.

Term
how do RNA viruses get the "copy machines" working?
Definition
there's either instructions encoding for making its own machinery or bring in their own RNA dependent RNA polymerase
Term

3 kinds of defenses

Definition

physical barriers

 innate immune system

adaptive immune system

Term
skin layers
Definition

dead cells

maturing cells

new (basal) cells

basal membrane

Term
why don't people get AIDS from oral sex?
Definition

because of all the anti viral compounds in saliva.

 

that's why most viruses don't infect the mouth

Term
"flattish"
Definition

squamous

 

squamous cells cover the epithelial cells in the vagina

 

that's squamous cells, basal cells, and then the basal membrane

Term
why is the vagina inhospitable?
Definition

because of the squamous, non proliferating (dividing) cells, mucous coating, and the pH 5 acid environment

 

(cells that aren't multiplying are of no use to a virus. Most STIs actually take root in tears in vaginal tissue)

Term
"innate immune system"
Definition

second line of defense (after physical barriers such as the skin)

 

it's called "innate" because all animals seem to have it.

Term
phagocyte
Definition

"eating cell"

 

(white blood cells)

Term
monocytes
Definition

young macrophages

 

reinforcement to macrophages

Term
what is the weakness of a macrophage?
Definition

they consume all

 

most of the time this is good, but some viruses are want  to be ingested so that they can hijack the macrophage

Term
neutrophils
Definition

circulating white blood cells (not sentinal like macrophages)

 

70% of all white blood cells are neutrophils

Term
most common complement protein
Definition
C3
Term
C3's purpose
Definition
C3 breaks into two new molecules all the time. One, C3b has the ability to bind to the surface of most viruses.
Term
what is the purpose of C3b?
Definition
C3b binds to the protein coats of viruses. Once there, it catalyzes the breaking up of more C3. The virus become opsonized in C3b, and phagocytes, who love to bind to C3b, gobble the tagged virus right up.
Term
opsonized
Definition

when a virus is covered in C3b

 

macrophages that gobble up opsonized viruses are stimulated to search for more viruses (to eat more)

Term
what does C3b do to virus-stricken cells?
Definition
C3b binds to the membrane of the destroyed cell and then poke holes in a viruse's protein coat
Term
what does C3A do?
Definition
C3A is left over after C3b jumps off of C3. C3a becomes a hysterical lady who screams so loud that phagocytes come hurrying in to see what the distressis all about.
Term
what is the weakness in the innate immune system?
Definition
if a virus squeezes past and makes it into a cell, there's nothing the innate system can do about it.
Term
"warning proteins"
Definition
interferon alpha & interferon beta
Term
interferon's purpose
Definition

this is the universal alarm amoung cells.

 

Cells under attack launch this alarms, (interferon alpha and beta) which bind to the surfaces of other cells. The alerted cells then know that a virus is lurking around, and if they come in contact with it, they must commit suicide.

Term
when is interferon secreted?
Definition

sometimes when a virus comes in contact with a cell membrane. Other times because of the presence of large quantities of double stranded RNA (that most viruses have)

 

cells that have been warned with interferon are more sensitive to linking double stranded RNA to attack

Term
short of commiting suicided, what is an alternative warned cells have in the case of infection?
Definition
Shut down all RNA, both viral and cellular
Term
MHC molecules
Definition

MHC is the signal that says "don't kill me" on the surfaces of most cells.

 

Some viruses turn off the production of MHC, and this can be a signal to killer cells that alerts "I have been hijacked"

Term
cytokines
Definition

proteins cells use to communicate amoungst themselves

 

cytokines can be used to activate killer cells and make macrophages "big eaters". These activated cells give off cytokines themselves, and the result is a positive feed back cycle

Term
cytolytic viruses
Definition

viruses that destroy the infected cell once they're done with it.

 

 

Term
when does the innate immune system kick in?
Definition
When there's a suspiciously high amount of dead cells floating around or when virus-induced interferon levels are  up
Term
inflamatory cytokines
Definition

this triggers the inflammatory response which causes fever, malaise, and fatigue. Temp raising makes the body inhospitable to a virus, and malaise and fatigue encourage a person to rest and take it easy.

Term
B cells
Definition

B cells are the factories that pump out anitbodies on demand.

 

Produced in bone marrow

 

 

Term
B cell receptors
Definition

Found on the surface of every B  cell, B cell receptors come in two flavors: heavy chains and light chains. The chains are created by stringing together V, D, J, and C segments. You can create millions of different segments using these four letter combinations, and more combinations arise from combineing and deleting segments.

 

This mix and match scheme allows B cells to pick up almost any organic molecule.

Term
antigen
Definition

a molecule that can bind to a cell's receptors

 

(like virus coats binding to B cell receptors)

Term
what causes B cells to start manufacturing antibodies?
Definition
If a B cell hits a viral antigen and gets properly stimulated, the B cell can get "turned on" (and starts making lots of little B cells). Some of these cells will keep breeding, and others will become plasma B cells.
Term
"plasma" B cell
Definition
a B cell that is makes only antibodies
Term
what's the only difference between an antibody and B cell receptors?
Definition

Antibodies are not anchored to the surface of the B cell.

 

Term

Five classes of antiodies are....

Definition

IgM

IgG

IgA

IgD

IgE

Term
Which two kinds of antibodies have nothing to do with viral infection?
Definition
IgD and IgE
Term
the "generic" antibody
Definition

IgM

 

(these are the first antibodies that are produced when B cells are stimulated to proliferate)

Term
IgM anatomy:
Definition

IgM antibodies have ten "hands" that can bind to antigens.

 

Igm can sometimes also prevent viruses from entering host cells or impeding viral reproduction after hijacking.

 

Oh, and in the case that the oh-so-clever virus has found a way to bypass getting peppered with complementary system fragments, the IgM make short work of them.

Term
runner up to IgM
Definition

IgG

 

(produced later on in the infection)

Term
why is IgG so good at fighting in the blood?
Definition

phagocytes have receptors for IgG (not IgM)

 

as a result the complementary system is quickly activated

 

as a result all those phagocytes in the blood get around the infection quickly

Term

What is a superpower IgG has the IgM doesn't?

Definition

IgG can create a direct bridge in between virus infected cells and natural killer cells

 

(the infected cells have to be sending their baby's protein coats to the surface though)

Term

IgG and babies

Definition

IgG is the only immunoglobin that can pass from mother to child via the placenta

 

(until baby can produce its own)

 

baby gets the added perk of gaining immunity to all the past infections Mama's had.

Term
IgG anatomy
Definition
looks like a Y w/ two antigen receptors and a "bridge" (for natural killer cells)
Term
why IgA takes over from IgM
Definition
because IgA is better in mucous
Term
how is IgA adapted to work in their selected "environment"
Definition

IgA is really two IgG clipped together at the tail (bridge). IgA therefore has four antigenic hands and can get large clumps of virus that can then be swept away in a cough or swallow or sneeze.

 

The clipped tail also allows them to transmit across intestinal walls and withstanding the acids and enzymes of the digestive tract.

 

Mothers have IgA in their milk and it helps defend babies from infection.

Term
what is IgA's weakness?
Definition

it cannot activate the complement system.

 

phagocytes are less likely to kick in and help.

Term
memory B cells
Definition

B cells that have chosen to specialize in one virus and be ready for future attacks.

Term
somatic hypermutation
Definition
a thing memory B cells do so that their receptors are finely tuned to picking up the slightest trace of their target virus. If they pick up so much as a whiff, they start to multiply to combat infection.
Term
what can't B cells do?
Definition
look inside a cell and see if it's infected
Term

what would cause an autoimmune disease

 

(B and T cells)

Definition
If B and T cells were to start reacting to antigens produced by healthy cells in the body and began attacking them and tagging them for destruction
Term
what signals the adaptive immune system that the innate immune system needs back up
Definition

the production of "battle cytokines" such as interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor.

 

(and the innate immune system can tell they're in trouble if there a lot of cells dieing and a lot of interferon floating around)

Term
Dendritic cells
Definition

The food taster.

 

It's phagocytic. It slurps up lots of fluid and most of it will pass as sound and spit back out. However, if it tastes tumor necrosis factor or other battle cytokines it will flee to the nearest lymph node.

Term
Lymph nodes and adaptive immune activation
Definition

Dendritic cells that have tasted battle cytokines flee to the lymph nodes where they alert the adaptive immune system that a battle is a foot.

 

The gentle butler makes sure the adaptive immune system is only turned on in times of infection.

Term
"antigen presenting cells"
Definition

the dendritic cells.

 

The butlers are a wise and worldly lot. Not only can they tell when it is time to go to the police station (lymph nodes) but they are intelligent enough to gather information (virus or bacteria), and can map out a plan for the police. However sometime the noble butler gets infected along the way, but even then he can stumble into the lymph node and provide the stationed police with an autopsy.

 

CSI :)

Term
Helper T cells
Definition

These cells take the message from the destraught dendritic cell and then communicate it to the killer T cells and antibodies.

 

(the exact means of communication are still foggy. It could involve cell contact or cytokines or both)

Term
what are the weaknesses of the adaptive immune system?
Definition

It's slow. It takes time for the innate immune system to signal for help, and then more time for the custom made antigens and T cells to hit the scene. And if the virus is clever enough to keep its host alive and preventing the production of interferon, the innate system is clueless so the cytokines aren't produced so the dendritic cells taste nothing, so there is no reason to travel to the lymph nodes and call on the adaptive immune system.

 

And the adaptive immune system is not efficient for  tots and snr.citz. It peaks efficiency at puberty.

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