Proteins are built out of a chain of aminoacids. There are 20 different kinds of aminoacid, and the particular sequence of aminoacids determines the shape of the protein, and therefore its biological function.
To build a protein, the cell uses a strand of RNA as template. The RNA consists of a sequence of 4 kinds of bases (A=Adenine, C=Cytosine, G=Guanine, U=Uracyl) and there is a genetic code that maps each group of 3 RNA bases into one aminoacid. For example, "AGC" corresponds to serine, "AAG" means lysine, and "AGCAAG" means serine followed by lysine.
DNA is built of similar pieces as RNA. The main difference is that RNA is single stranded, while DNA is double stranded with that famous double helix structure. Additionally, DNA uses T=Thymine in place of U=Uracyl.
DNA acts a store of information. Each gene contains the genetic sequence that describes how to build one protein. When a gene is active, the cell copies that part of the DNA into a messenger RNA, and then uses that RNA as a template to build the protein in question.
Every cell in the body has the exact same set of genes, but they differ in what genes are active at each time.
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Now on to viruses...
The Coronavidus is an RNA virus. Each individual virius is a little ball made of proteins and lipids, encasing a genome made of RNA.
By itself the virus is inert, but once that RNA finds its way to inside a human cell, it behaves like a fork bomb. The cell translates the viral RNA into proteins, just like it would with our own RNA. One of the proteins is a polimerase enzyme, which then makes even more copies of the viral genome. Soon, there are thousands of copies of the virus. Additionally, the viral genome also encodes the structural proteins for the capsule of the virus, including the "spike" protein that gives coronaviruses their signature look.
The polymerase in most RNA viruses is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, an enzyme that makes copies of RNA. So what happens is: a single piece of viral RNA comes in the cell. Then it gets translated by the cell machinery, producing the polymerase enzyme. That polymerase then makes more copies of the viral genome. Which in turn gets translated into even more polymerase. Which then make even more copies of the virus... That is where the fork bomb analogy comes in.
That kind of thing doesn't normally happen to us because we don't have those enzymes that can make copies of their own messenger RNA. Putting those fork bombs in production would be asking for trouble :)
Humans have developed protections against some rogue RNA, since out of control fork bombs randomly happening isn't a thing that makes you successful at reproduction.
The Virus reproduces using a fork bomb but for us it's deadly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_bio...
Proteins are built out of a chain of aminoacids. There are 20 different kinds of aminoacid, and the particular sequence of aminoacids determines the shape of the protein, and therefore its biological function.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid
To build a protein, the cell uses a strand of RNA as template. The RNA consists of a sequence of 4 kinds of bases (A=Adenine, C=Cytosine, G=Guanine, U=Uracyl) and there is a genetic code that maps each group of 3 RNA bases into one aminoacid. For example, "AGC" corresponds to serine, "AAG" means lysine, and "AGCAAG" means serine followed by lysine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_code
DNA is built of similar pieces as RNA. The main difference is that RNA is single stranded, while DNA is double stranded with that famous double helix structure. Additionally, DNA uses T=Thymine in place of U=Uracyl.
DNA acts a store of information. Each gene contains the genetic sequence that describes how to build one protein. When a gene is active, the cell copies that part of the DNA into a messenger RNA, and then uses that RNA as a template to build the protein in question.
Every cell in the body has the exact same set of genes, but they differ in what genes are active at each time.
------------------------------------
Now on to viruses...
The Coronavidus is an RNA virus. Each individual virius is a little ball made of proteins and lipids, encasing a genome made of RNA.
By itself the virus is inert, but once that RNA finds its way to inside a human cell, it behaves like a fork bomb. The cell translates the viral RNA into proteins, just like it would with our own RNA. One of the proteins is a polimerase enzyme, which then makes even more copies of the viral genome. Soon, there are thousands of copies of the virus. Additionally, the viral genome also encodes the structural proteins for the capsule of the virus, including the "spike" protein that gives coronaviruses their signature look.