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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Science concepts--biological structures, functions, and processes. The student knows that biological structures at multiple levels of organization perform specific functions and processes that affect life.

Examples of viral diseases could include but are not limited to viral meningitis, measles, rabies, coronavirus, chickenpox, and influenza.

the reason for which an object or a process occurs in a system

a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result; a continuing natural or biological activity or function

something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; the arrangement of particles or parts in a substance or body; the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other

non-living infectious agent of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells; made up of a lipid capsid, protein coat, and nucleic acid; can infect all types of cells and organisms from bacteria to humans, sometimes causing disease

Research

Prasad, Vidya Mangala, Andrew S. Miller, Thomas Klose, Devika Sirohi, Geeta Buda, Wen Jiang, Richard J. Kuhn, and Michael G. Rossmann. "Structure of the Immature Zika Virus at 9 A Resolution." Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 24, no. 2 (February 2017): 184-186. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5296287/

Summary:  The current Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic is characterized by severe pathogenicity in both children and adults. Sequence changes in ZIKV since its first isolation are apparent when pre-epidemic strains are compared with those causing the current epidemic. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the immature ZIKV at 9-Å (angstrom) resolution.

Research

Villordo, Sergio M., Claudia V. Filomatori, Irma Sánchez-Vargas, Carol D. Blair, Andrea V. Gamarnik. "Dengue Virus RNA Structure Specialization Facilitates Host Adaptation." PLoS Pathogens 11, no. 1 (January 2015):e1004604. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1004604

Summary:  Many viral pathogens cycle between humans and insects. These viruses must have evolved strategies for rapid adaptation to different host environments. However, the mechanistic basis for the adaptation process remains poorly understood. To study the mosquito-human adaptation cycle, we examined changes in RNA structures of the dengue virus genome during host adaptation.

Research

Gopalan V, Chandran A, Arumugam K, Sundaram M, Velladurai S, Govindan K, Azhagesan N, Jeyavel P, Dhandapani P, Sivasubramanian S, Kitambi SS. Distribution and Functional Analyses of Mutations in Spike Protein and Phylogenic Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Emerged during the Year 2021 in India. J Glob Infect Dis. 2023 May 17;15(2):43-51. doi: 10.4103/jgid.jgid_178_22. PMID: 37469462; PMCID: PMC10353649.

Summary:  Prolonged COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the emergence and transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants through the accumulation of adaptive mutations. This study focuses on the phylodynamic distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the year 2021 in India besides analyzing the functional significance of mutations in S-protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants.