gp 120 is _________
A type of envelope protein
The word "obligate" means.
You are required to do something. Viruses are obligated to have a host or else they cannot reproduce.
What does a mosquito have in common with a virus?
They are both considered to be parasites. They need something from their hosts to live and they cause their hosts damage or harm when they get that something.
At which level of biological organization will you find viruses?
At the molecular level. Viruses are nothing more than "simple" organic molecules.
What is replication?
To make more of yourself. Viruses can replicate as long as they have a host.
What is a nucleic acid
Nucleic acids are chemicals such as DNA and RNA which act as the "blue prints" needed to make proteins.
What do you get when you create covalent bonds between 200 amino acids?
You get a protein! Viruses need their hosts so they can make proteins for their itty bitty viral "bodies".
What does it mean to metabolize? Do viruses metabolize?
Organisms metabolize if they take in chemicals and use them to make energy for themselves. Viruses do not do this.
Why are viruses host specific?
Because they must have protein based spike projections that can fit into the specific receptors of cells.
How do viruses maintain homeostasis?
They don't. Viruses do not eat or sleep. The only thing they can do is maintain the size of their population. The size of the host population matters!
How does a virus replicate?
It uses the host cell's organelles and enzymes for DNA transcription and RNA translation.
The protein coat of a virus is called a ____________.
Capsid
What chemicals can be used to create the genome of a virus?
DNA or RNA
What are Retroviruses?
RNA Viruses that carry the enzyme Reversetranscriptase so they can integrate their genome into the host's DNA.
