concept

The Ebola virus

HIV transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV integration, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV translation, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Reverse transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Zika virus, illustration

The ecology of influenza A viruses

HIV attachment, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of HIV assembly and budding. Once additional viral RNA and proteins have been made inside an infected target cell (usually CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system), they are assembled and packaged together into new virus particles (virions) ready for release. HIV Gag protein and gag-pol (red) form an ordered arrangement below the cell membrane (white/grey) capturing the HIV genome (yellow). Viral proteins Vpr and Vif (purple; lower middle) are also incorporated. The assembled virus then pinches off from the cell picking up cell membrane on the way to create the viral envelope. Width of image is approximately 100 nm.



This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

Artistic interpretation of a single ebola virus particle which is shaped to spell the word 'help'. 

The ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family of viruses and causes ebola virus disease (EVD) or ebola haemorrhagic fever in humans. Symptoms of this often fatal illness include sudden onset of fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat and intense muscle weakness followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases internal and external bleeding. Ebola virus disease first appeared during outbreaks in Africa in the mid-1970s. The virus spreads between humans through direct contact with infected blood, secretions and organs, or with surfaces or bedding already contaminated with these fluids. Ebola virus particles (virions) are cylindrical or tubular in shape and can be up to 1000 nm long and 80 nm in diameter. They have glycoproteins projecting from the surface in 7 - 10 nm spikes. The virus carries a negative sense RNA genome which is about 18 - 19 Kb long.

Cellular level art, paint on silk, digitised.

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of a cross section through the capsid (red; conical shape) from an HIV virus after it has entered a target cell (blue; usually a CD4 T cell, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system). Once inside the infected target cell the capsid protein uncoats, releasing viral RNA (yellow) and viral proteins (red and purple) into the cytoplasm of the target cell. Reverse transcriptase (purple; three of these are seen here at the centre of the image attached to viral RNA and DNA) then creates a DNA copy (green) of the HIV RNA genome (yellow), using transfer RNA (blue; two of these are seen here at the centre of the image attached to viral RNA and DNA) from the host target cell as primer. HIV nucleocapsid protein (lots of small red molecules seen here attached to viral RNA) acts as a chaperone to unfold the RNA so that it can be copied in this way. This process of making DNA from an RNA template is called reverse transcription. Width of image is approximately 100 nm.



This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of a cross section through an HIV virus particle (upper; red and purple) attaching to a host target cell (lower; blue and green) e.g. a CD4 T cell, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system. Both the virus and the target cell are surrounded by separate membranes (white/grey; circular shape) and blood plasma is visible between the two (yellow and brown). Three HIV envelope glycoproteins (purple; extend out from the virus and look like trees rooted in the membrane) bind to proteins (receptor CD4 and co-receptor CCR5) on the surface of the target cell. This causes a change in conformation that inserts fusion peptides into the cellular membrane. Width of image is approximately 100 nm.



This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of genetic transcription. After viral DNA has been integrated into the genome of the target cell it is infecting (usually CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system), it acts as a template from which more copies of viral RNA and proteins can be made. The first step in this process is called transcription, the creation of an RNA copy (yellow) from the DNA template (green). This is initiated by the enzyme RNA polymerase (blue molecule at the centre of the image attached to DNA) and facilitated by HIV viral protein Tat and the P-TEFb complex (pink and purple structure; just above centre of image). Other proteins involved in transporting molecules in and out of the nucleus are also visible here (HIV viral protein Rev is in pink and CRM1 is in blue; bottom right of image). Width of image is approximately 100 nm.



This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

Galleries and Reading Room

Library

Shop

Café

We’re undertaking research with website visitors to find out some more about you and what you thought about your visit. This survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time!

Wellcome uses cookies.

Contagious

Images

Catalogue

HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

The Ebola virus

Reverse transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV attachment, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Wellcome uses cookies.

Contagious

Images

Catalogue

HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

The Ebola virus

Reverse transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV attachment, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

HIV transcription, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Wellcome Collection

Today’s opening times