Category Archives: Virus Art Series

Orthopoxviruses come from the poxiviridae family of viruses. They are responsible for several diseases, most notably smallpox and (now) monkeypox. They are brick-shaped, enveloped, and highly complex viruses about 250nM wide and around 300nM wide. This virus contains a very long (170-150kb) linear double-stranded DNA genome. Cell entry is mediated by the membrane proteins thatContinue reading “Orthopoxvirus”

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a small, non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus (8kb) from the papillomaviridae family. It’s capsid is made up of L1 and L2 proteins. HPV infection is incredibly common, with most people being exposed in their lifetime. There are over 100 different strains of HPV – some lead to warts while others are cancerous.Continue reading “Human Papillomavirus”

Meet Dengue virus! Dengue virus (flaviviridae family) is a small (50nm), spherical, enveloped virus carrying an RNA genome (11kb). While the particle is spherical (because it is enveloped), the placement of the E proteins throughout the membrane give it an icosahedral-like symmetry. Each surface face is made up of a trio of E-protein dimers. TheseContinue reading “Dengue Virus”

Today we are talking about hepatoviruses! Hepatoviruses are small (30nm diameter), non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses carrying an RNA genome (7.5kb). The capsid is made of 60 multimers made up of 3 viral proteins (VP1, VP2, and VP3). VP4, a fourth viral protein, is not incorporated into the outer surface multimeter. A viral infection with a hepatovirusContinue reading “Hepatovirus”

Today we’re talking about Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)! TMV is an elongated, filamentous plant virus carrying an RNA genome (6.5kb). It’s capsid is made up of 2130 molecules of a coat protein. The virus is about 300nm in length and 18nm in diameter. TMV infects a wide-range of plants, especially tobacco, causing mosaic-like patterns onContinue reading “Tobacco-Mosaic Virus”

Meet Influenza Virus!‬ ‪Chances are you’ve caught “the flu” at some point in your life. There are 4 species of influenza viruses – A, B, C, and D. ‬ The influenza virus is a 80-120nm, spherical, enveloped virus carrying an 8-segment RNA genome. Influenza Virus A and B (IAV and IBV) both contain hemagglutinin (HA),Continue reading “Influenza Virus”

Meet Herpes Simplex Virus!‬ ‪HSV is a spherical, enveloped particle (150-200nm) carrying a linear, double-stranded DNA genome (~150kb) within an icosahedral capsid. The envelope and capsid are separated by protein tegument.‬ ‪Several glycoproteins (gB, gC, gD, gH, gL, etc.), necessary for binding and entering the host cell, are embedded in the viral envelope. The tegumentContinue reading “Herpes Simplex Virus”

Meet Lentivirus!‬ ‪Lentiviruses (part of the retroviridae family) are spherical (about 80-100nm in diameter), enveloped particles carrying a single stranded RNA genome. Importantly, lentiviruses also carry key enzymes necessary for genome replication, while most viruses use host machinery. ‬ ‪Gp120 and Gp41 are glycoproteins embedded in the envelope that are necessary for host cell binding.Continue reading “Lentivirus”

Meet the T4 bacteriophage, or “eat bacteria”! ‬ ‪Bacteriophages are different than the previous in the series because these viruses only infect bacterial cells, not human cells. ‬ ‪T4 bacteriophages are non-enveloped, form a head-tail structure, and carry a linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome about 169kb in length.‬ ‪These complex structures work together to bindContinue reading “T4 Bacteriophage”

Meet Zika virus! ‬ ‪Zika virus (flaviviridae family) is a small (50nm), spherical, enveloped virus carrying an RNA genome (10kb). ‬ ‪While the particle is spherical (because it is enveloped), the placement of the E proteins throughout the membrane give it an icosahedral-like symmetry. The E proteins form dimers and are used to bind cellContinue reading “Zika Virus”