PHAR3817 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Western Blot, Hiv-1 Protease, Viral Envelope
22 Jul 2018
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Document Summary
Hiv belongs to a family called the retro-viruses". Two types - hiv1 and hiv2, both cause immunosuppression, however hiv1 is the organism responsible for human aids whereas. Hiv2 is less virulent and confined to west africa. Infects and destroys many cells of the immune system (cd4+ cells, macrophages, dendritic cells: mainly targets cd4+ cells (helper t-cells) Infected cd4+ lymphocytes produce >98% of plasma hiv virions. If untreated, can multiply and create 1010 viruses per day: high rate of mutation - difficult to treat as it can adapt. Infection can be asymptomatic but as the number of cd4+ cells decreases, it can progress to full aids. Viruses, like hiv, don"t have cell walls or a nucleus. A hiv virus particle, called a virion, is spherical in shape. Hiv particles surround themselves with a coat of fatty material known as the viral envelope (or membrane). Projecting from this are around 72 little spikes, which are formed from the proteins gp120 and gp41.
