Daily Newsletter April 5, 2012
Today's Topic: Influenza
Suggested Reading:
Below are links to a series of short articles on the flu and the influenza viruses. Please read over these articles, as they will help you with today's challenge.
- Seasonal Influenza Fact Sheet
- Types of Influenza Viruses
- Genetics of the Influenza Virus
- How the Flu Virus Can Change: “Drift” and “Shift”
- Influenza Research
Here is a longer article on Influenza Life Cycle that would also be helpful.
As discussed in class, one of the critical factors in a viral cycle is the attachment of the virus to the host cell. In the above diagram, you can see the basic stages of Influenza A. Attachment, leading to endocytosis. Uncoating occurs, followed by the viral genome taking over cellular metabolism for the formation of new viral particles. Finally, the budding of new viral particles.
The image below is another example of the influenza life cycle, but in this diagram, note the formation of the viral spikes in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus.
Make note of the formation and incorporation of viral spikes.
Daily Challenge:
In your own words, describe the Influenza viral "life" cycle. Discuss how the spikes are variable, and how the flu changes from year to year. Discuss the concept of antigenic drift and antigenic shift as it applies to the alterations in the flu and vaccination protocols.
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