Viruses: Infection and Ecology
November 19
Everyone's papers are in your folders in the rack
outside Betty's door. There is also a notebook of interesting papers
to be looked at there.
Viruses have an enormous influence in our lives.-- daily and historically.
The influenza epidemic of 1918 cost far more casualties than World War
I, and we still dread the renewed coming of the flu each winter, despite
partial potential vaccine protection. The world-wide AIDS epidemic is decimating
parts of Africa and Asia, having an enormous effect on many aspects of
life in our world as well, and taxing all that we know about medical care
- despite the fact that HIV is a relatively weak virus. The efforts to
deal with Foot and Mouth Disease are devastating the livestock industry
and economy of Britain and beyond, despite all containment strategies.
In a format of lectures, seminar discussions, videos and presentations
of student projects, we will explore viral infection in terms of molecular
biology, ecology, and physiological and historical consequences. We will
begin by looking at well-understood infection processes for a very special
group of viruses that only infect bacterial cells. These bacteriophages
were used to lay the foundations of molecular biology - from the demonstration
that DNA is the genetic material to the discovery of messenger RNA to vectors
for gene expression. They also play key roles in the natural control of
bacterial populations; at any given time, ¼ of the over 1030 bacteria
in the oceans are infected by phages, which make them release their rich
nutrients high in the ocean, to be used by other organisms, rather than
sinking to be mired in the muck as they die. Insects also have their own
viruses, which are important in helping control their natural population
cycles. In turn, human impact and climate changes lead to new virus patterns,
acute and chronic - Hantavirus, Ebola, influenza, herpes, HIV. We will
next explore the components of the immune system and the intercommunications
between them and between the immune, hormonal and nervous systems, taking
advantage of what we have learned from AIDS and other viral infections
and from modern technology. We will consider the concept of the immune
system as a sixth sense organ and the implications of psychoneuroimmunology,
particularly as related to viral infection. We will explore the apparent
roles of viral infections and resulting autoimmune responses in such diseases
as juvenile-onset diabetes and chronic fatigue syndrome and consider evidence
that viral infection actually has a broad stimulatory effect on certain
aspects of the system. Viral infections and the resultant cellular responses
also play key roles in certain kinds of cancers and have contributed to
our understanding of the basic mechanisms of cancer development from all
causes. We will focus here on human papiloma virus and cervical cancer
and on hepatitis viruses and cancer of the liver and talk about tumor suppressors,
protooncogenes, and the importance of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
Worldwide vaccination against major childhood diseases is a major current
goal, with the potential to save lives and suffering, as shown by the eradication
of smallpox. However, questions are also being raised about potential negative
impacts of vaccination. We will explore questions that should be considered
before making any personal or public-policy vaccination decision related
to the efficacy of particular available vaccines, the timing and routes
of administration, the consequences of the illness and potential long-term
implications. This upper-division/graduate program is intended both for
those with a strong background in biological sciences and those with a
more limited background but a strong interest in the subject. As readings,
we will be using articles from the scientific and more popular literature,
the Encyclopedia of Virology, Scientific American and books like The Coming
Plague. Generally, there will be some choices of readings, which will help
accommodate differences in background and specific interests. Evaluation
will depend on class participation and preparation as well as on a project
and class presentation. There is the potential for parallel lab work through
an introductory phage course within the Undergraduate Research Program.
Contact Julie Farr to add links, or with questions or concerns. If any
links are broken, please tell me! lunaselena@yahoo.com
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Last updated October 29, 2001