• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
virology blog

virology blog

About viruses and viral disease

bacteriophage

Phages corkscrew along bacterial flagella

31 October 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

Chi phageViruses that infect eukaryotic cells typically bind to a plasma membrane receptor to initiate the reproduction cycle. Attachment of bacteriophages to bacterial cells is more diverse. Some attach to bacterial outer membrane proteins, while others attach to appendages such as pili or flagella. How viruses move from the flagella to the bacterial cell surface is revealed by studies of a flagellotropic bacteriophage that infects Salmonella.

[Read more…] about Phages corkscrew along bacterial flagella

Filed Under: Basic virology, Information Tagged With: bacteriophage, Chi phage, corkscrew, flagella, flagellin, tailed phage, viral, virology, virus, viruses

Phage therapy gains momentum

27 June 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

bacteriophage modelShortly after Félix d’Herelle discovered viruses that infect bacteria in 1917 (also found in 1915 by Twort), he recognized their therapeutic potential for treating infections. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 began the golden age of antibiotics, which pushed aside progress in treating infections with bacteriophages. With the advent of widespread antimicrobial resistance, development of phages as therapeutic drugs gained momentum. Three recent examples serve to illustrate the untapped potential of these viruses for treating human bacterial infections.

[Read more…] about Phage therapy gains momentum

Filed Under: Basic virology, Information Tagged With: antibiotic resistance, bacteriophage, perfect predator, phage therapy, viral, virology, virus, viruses

TWiV 552: Delta and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat

16 June 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

Team TWiV reveals DNA polymerases that do not require a primer, and packaging of hepatitis delta virus by the envelope glycoproteins of diverse viruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 552 (70 MB .mp3, 116 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv

Filed Under: This Week in Virology Tagged With: bacteriophage, de novo synthesis, dengue virus, DNA polymerase, envelope glycoprotein, hepatitis b virus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis delta virus, herlper virus, mobile genetic element, pipolin, primer, viral, virology, virus, viruses

No primer needed

13 June 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

Each year I inform the students in my Columbia University virology course that all known DNA polymerases – viral or cellular – require a primer to initiate DNA synthesis (it’s even stated in our textbook, Principles of Virology). This statement is no longer true, as shown by the discovery of two different DNA polymerases that can initiate DNA synthesis in the absence of any primer.

[Read more…] about No primer needed

Filed Under: Basic virology, Information Tagged With: bacteriophage, DNA polymerase, helicase, mobile genetic element, NrS-1, pipolin, primase, prim–pol, primer dependent DNA synthesis, primer independent DNA synthesis, ssDNA-binding protein

TWiV 537: Boundary issues

3 March 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

The Scholars of the Podcast reveal ribosomal proteins encoded in viral genomes, and a protein cell receptor for bat influenza viruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 537 (63 MB .mp3, 104 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv

Filed Under: This Week in Virology Tagged With: bacteriophage, bat, HLA, influenza virus, MHC II protein, receptor, ribosomal protein, ribosome, ribosome hibernation factor, viral, virology, virus, virus entry, viruses

Ribosomal proteins encoded in viral genomes

21 February 2019 by Vincent Racaniello

bacterial ribosomeWhen I first entered the field of virology, in the 1970s, the definition of virus included the then-correct observation that no viral genome encoded any part of the translational apparatus. This dictum was shattered by the discovery of giant viruses which were found to encode tRNAs, aminoacyl tRNA syntheses, and many proteins involved in translation. The phrase ‘only the ribosome is lacking’ was famously used to describe the giant Tupanvirus. While catchy, it is no longer entirely true: viral genomes have been identified that encode ribosomal proteins.

[Read more…] about Ribosomal proteins encoded in viral genomes

Filed Under: Basic virology, Information Tagged With: bacteriophage, protein synthesis, purifying selection, ribosomal protein, ribosome, viral, virology, virus, viruses

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 11
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

by Vincent Racaniello

Earth’s virology Professor
Questions? virology@virology.ws

With David Tuller and
Gertrud U. Rey

Follow

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram
Get updates by RSS or Email

Contents

Table of Contents
ME/CFS
Inside a BSL-4
The Wall of Polio
Microbe Art
Interviews With Virologists

Earth’s Virology Course

Virology Live
Columbia U
Virologia en Español
Virology 101
Influenza 101

Podcasts

This Week in Virology
This Week in Microbiology
This Week in Parasitism
This Week in Evolution
Immune
This Week in Neuroscience
All at MicrobeTV

Useful Resources

Lecturio Online Courses
HealthMap
Polio eradication
Promed-Mail
Small Things Considered
ViralZone
Virus Particle Explorer
The Living River
Parasites Without Borders

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.