Friday, 6 December 2024, 1:36 AM
Site: SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics E-learning Portal
Course: ViralZone: Studying viral diversity (2023_VRLZN)
Glossary: Glossary
A

antiretroviral

Pertaining to a class of drugs that inhibit the activity of retroviruses. For example, HIV is a retrovirus as it inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA of the host cell.

C

capsid

The protein shell of a virus.

D

diversity

The range of differences observed.

E

evolution

The change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

G

gene therapy

The genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. (Source: Wikipedia)

genome

The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell, organism or virus.

genus

A principal taxonomic category that ranks below family and above species, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name.

H

host

A larger organism that harbors a smaller organism; for instance, a cat which harbors a virus.

S

strain

A genetic variant, a subtype or a culture within a biological species.

T

taxonomy

The branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms.