12 Questions
What is the term used to describe minor changes in a virus due to mutations in its DNA or RNA?
Point mutations
When two genetically distinct viruses infect a cell, what process results in a major change in the virus's genome?
Antigenic shift
What type of genetic interaction among viruses results in progeny with traits not found in either parent?
Recombination
Which mechanism involves the exchange of genetic material between different chromosomes or regions within the same chromosome in viruses?
Recombination
What kind of mutations do not change the protein encoded by a gene in a virus?
Silent mutations
In which type of viruses does recombination generally occur, mediated by homology?
ds DNA viruses
What is the classic mechanism of recombination?
The nucleic acid strands break, and parts of the genomes from two parents are joined.
What is the process called when two chromosomes (M and F) break and rejoin to produce two re-arranged chromosomes (C1 and C2)?
Recombination of incompletely linked genes
What is the characteristic of a recombinant virus with a stable genome?
It yields progeny that are genetically similar to itself upon replication.
For viruses with segmented genomes (RNA viruses), how is the formation of recombinants caused?
By reassortment of individual genome fragments rather than by an actual crossover event
What is the evolutionary advantage conferred by segmented genomes in viruses like influenza?
Different strains can shuffle/mix and combine genes to produce offspring with unique characteristics.
What is the process called when different strains of a virus with a segmented genome shuffle/mix and combine genes to produce offspring with unique characteristics?
Reassortment or viral sex
Explore how viruses undergo genetic change through processes like antigenic drift and shift. Learn about the mechanisms behind minor changes in DNA or RNA and how certain mutations can lead to evolutionary advantages like drug resistance.
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