Viral Diseases and Immunity

env gene codes for a protein called gp160 in HIV capsid that is broken down by a cellular protease to form gp120 and gp41.

HIV is composed of two copies of positive single-stranded RNA that codes for the virus's nine genes enclosed by a conical capsid composed of 2000 copies of the viral protein.

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death associated with antimicrobial responses during inflammation. In this process, abortively infected cells that recognize certain danger signals within themselves produce cytokines, swell, burst and die.

Lys tRNA primer specifically tRNA lys3 is the primer for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Furin protein is one of the proteases responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of HIV envelope polyprotein precursor gp160 to gp120 and gp41 prior to viral assembly.

rev is an essental regulatory arrangement important for the synthesis of major viral proteins and is hence essential for viral replication.

People with Δccr5 mutation are resistant to R5 viruses because these viruses use CCR5 receptors for entry into the cell.

CRF02_AG is a circulating recombinant form of West African and Central European sub-types of HIV.

Viral infectivity factor (vif)'s role is to disrupt the antiviral activity of the human enzyme APOBEC by targeting it for ubiquitination and cellular degradation. APOBEC is a cytidine deaminase enzyme that mutates viral nucleic acids.

If HIV-1 (-) or indeterminate and HIV-2 (-) are there, nucleic acid test must be carried out to detect the acute infection of HIV-1 or its absence.

Untreated HIV patient dies within 9-11 years due to AIDS.

Macrophages are the first cells infected by HIV.

Group M HIV-1 predominates the AIDS pandemic. It is the most common type of HIV, with more than 90% of HIV/AIDS cases.

Correct answer. First viruses to be used as vectors in gene therapy experiments were retroviruses. Retroviruses are used for inserting a normal gene into the genome to replace an abnormal disease-causing gene in gene therapy of ADA deficiency, haemophilia b, rheumatoid arthritis etc.

Simian immunodeficiency virus of sooty mangabeys (SIVsmm) is identified as the progenitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) and has been transmitted to humans on multiple occasions. Even  then the epidemiology and genetic diversity of SIVsmm infection is unknown.