General > Biology

Viruses

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Numsgil:
How do real organisms defend against virus attacks?  Specifically once the virus is already inside its DNA.

shvarz:
That's two questions in one. Most viruses don't integrate their DNA into host DNA.  If they do, there is almost no way to get rid of it.

There are three general mechanisms to fight viruses:
1. Something inside a cell stops viral replication.
2. Cells feel the virus and die (that stops viral spread).
3. Immune system recognizes and destroys virus and infected cells.

Anything else?

Numsgil:
So I guess our little bots should really learn to make more slime.

Speaking of which, slime degredation might have to be reduced so it's better able to defend against viruses.  Or made more effective against viruses.

Endy:

--- Quote ---1. Something inside a cell stops viral replication.
2. Cells feel the virus and die (that stops viral spread).
3. Immune system recognizes and destroys virus and infected cells.
--- End quote ---

The last two would be possible to do currently. For an immune system simply have the other bots check on correct gene number and feed off infected ones. A continual delgene inc would likly take care of internal viruses, leaving an empty husk for family to feed from.

You could use code to keep viruses from spreading, messing with vshoot and mkvirus, although the virus could do the same to the host bot...

Man this is tricky, feels like trying to play a game against yourself :lol: For every attack there's a defense and every defense an attack. :)

Off Topic:

And just so I can tell a real biologist this idea:

What about slowing the immune systems response against HIV? If attacking is what allows T-cells to be infected wouldn't ignoring the virus help? Alright I know it's counter-intuitive, but the primate it came from does something similar to this and lives decently long even with high virus numbers.

Zelos:
there are a way for a individual cell to acctualy prevent itself from producing viruses. think its called RNA interferens. a RNA is singel, thats how its bieng read to create a protein, either its hull or what ever it needs. but if the cell creates the other side of the virus RNA they will attatch to each other and become useless, a double RNA isnt possible to read. if a virus RNA is AUCCAU the cell would create a RNA with the code UAGGUA, and they would attacht to each other like
AUCCAU
UAGGUA
and then its not possible to use, but this doesnt work on all viruses, this is a ancient and old way of protection, it doesnt work on every virus. I dont know how many it works on

but how would this be achived in DB if we wanted it? well, what about if we create genes that instant of numbers says "anti"? or maybe you type the same number but "anti" infront of the command, so a virus would look like
--- Code: ---6 .mkvirus
--- End code ---
then if we have a gene that looks like:
--- Code: ----6 .antimkvirus
--- End code ---
or
--- Code: ---anti .mkvirus
--- End code ---
or something like that then it would take out each other, its like 2+(-2) is 0, nothing would happen.

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