Viruses are perhaps the most abundant and diverse entities in the biological world.
For viruses with vertebrate hosts, over 78,000 genomes have already been sequenced.
1
Size, morphology, and genome sizes also vary greatly.
The porcine circovirus is 20 nm in size with a genome of under 2 kilobases, while the pandoravirus approaches a size of nearly 1 micrometer and a
genome of 2.5 megabases.
Among those that infect humans, at least 129 are clinically relevant pathogens, with a notable few being exceptionally and globally pervasive.
The World Health Organization reports HIV prevalence among 36.7 million people, with an estimated death toll of 1 million (as of 2016).
2
The hepatitis viruses HBV and HCV affect 257 million and 71 million people, respectively with 1.3 million hepatitis-related deaths (as of 2015).
Flu caused by the influenza virus severely affects up to 5 million annually with up to 500,000 deaths (as of 2016).
In the biomedical research regarding viruses and their widespread role in infectious disease, antibodies have become widely used tools.
Virus antibodies target specific antigens that include envelope glycoproteins, capsid proteins, non-structural and accessory proteins.
To aid in your research, we have cataloged over 40 thousand virus antibodies from over 70 suppliers in our antibody search tool.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV):
The HIV virus is a spherical, enveloped, single-stranded RNA lentivirus that can be further divided into two major subtypes:
HIV-1
is the most common strain, whereas
HIV-2
is largely endemic to West Africa. Some common HIV antigens include the envelope glycoprotein
gp160
and its processed products
gp120
and
gp41.
The The structural
GAG
polyprotein is further processed into proteins like capsid protein
p24.
Human immune cell depletion by HIV infection leads to the immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS.
Hepatitis Virus:
Hepatitis A virus,
also known as hepatovirus A, is a spherical, non-enveloped virus containing a linear, single-stranded RNA genome.
Hepatitis B virus
(HBV) is an enveloped spherical virus with a partially double-stranded DNA genome. The
core,
envelope, and
surface
antigens of HBV are common antibody targets. The
Hepatitis C virus
(HCV) is an enveloped ssRNA spherical virus. Its
core protein
is a common target antigen.
Dengue Virus:
The dengue virus (DENV) is an enveloped, spherical flavivirus with a ssRNA genome. There are four established serotypes:
DENV-1,
DENV-2,
DENV-3, and
DENV-4.
It expresses a single polypeptide that is processed into ten proteins, including nonstructural protein
NS1,
a common dengue antibody antigen.
Herpes Simplex Virus:
Herpes simplex virus 1
(HSV-1 or HHV-1) and
herpes simplex virus 2
(HSV-2 or HHV-2) are members of the enveloped, spherical herpesviridae virus family.
Their linear double stranded 152-Kb genomes contain an estimated 74 to 94 open reading frames. HSV-1 infection causes most cold sores, and genital
herpes is associated with HSV-2.
Influenza Virus:
The
Influenza A
virus is enveloped, generally spherical, with single stranded RNA genome encoding 12-14 proteins. Various subtypes are defined by the identities of hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) present on the surface of the viral envelope. Some notable serotypes include:
H1N1 (dubbed "swine flu" in 2009),
H5N1 (dubbed "bird flu" in 1997),
H3N2, and
H7N9 (first human outbreak in 2013).
While there are 18 known types of hemagglutinin and 11 types of neuraminidase, only 12 serotypes of influenza A are known to affect humans.
Influenza B similarly belongs to the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, although it is not as virulent.
Coronavirus:
Coronaviruses are a family of related enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses with several members associated with deadly outbreaks, such as
SARS and
MERS.
In December 2019, an outbreak originating from Wuhan, China has led to the classification of a new Coronavirus strain, named 2019-nCoV. Coronaviruses cause respiratory infections in humans.
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV):
EBV, a member of the herpes virus family, causes infectious mononucleosis by infecting B lymphocytes and epithelial cells. The EBV virion is spherical, enveloped, with a double-stranded DNA genome 172 Kb in size.
Enterovirus:
Enteroviruses are a family of non-enveloped ssRNA viruses known for infecting the intestinal tract. One notable member is
Enterovirus 71,
which potentially causes a polio-like neuorological disease.
1http://viralzone.expasy.org/
2http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/en/