2021 AMI Online Salon
Virus Replication Cycles
Project Details
- Entrant Name: Li Yao
- Other Contributors: Aileen O’Hearn, Fabian de Kok-Mercado
- Client: HHMI BioInteractive
- Copyright: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2020
- Medium/software used: Adobe Illustrator
- Final presentation format: Part of an educational mobile app
- Primary Audience: Advanced high school students and undergraduate students
Project Description
All viruses hijack the host’s machinery to replicate themselves, but the process varies between viruses. This series of illustrations provides a systemic visual summary of ten viruses by using consistent visual elements and a coherent layout. The illustrations are part of a mobile app and are accompanied by explanatory texts. In each replication cycle, the viewers can examine the functions of cellular machinery components in the viral replication process, such as nucleus, ER, and Golgi. The whole set allows the viewers to compare the genetic flow, the viral glycoproteins that facilitate entry, and the two exit mechanisms: lytic and non-lytic. For example, after cross-examining the genetic flow, the viewers may notice that not all viral genomes enter the nucleus. Among the ones that enter the nucleus, HPV and HIV can integrate their genome into the host genome. In addition, HPV utilizes Golgi and ER to dissemble itself, while most of the other viruses use ER and Golgi for assembly.
