MCAT Biology: HIV, Retroviruses & the Viral Life Cycle I How Viruses Hijack Your Cells

A virus isn't even alive. It's just genetic material in a protein coat. So how does something that basic manage to take over an entire cell?   In this episode of the Jack Westin MCAT Podcast, Mike and Molly tackle viruses, the topic their last two episodes on cellular trafficking were quietly building toward. Now that the mechanisms for moving things in and out of a cell are established, this episode shows exactly how viruses exploit those same pathways to infect, replicate, and spread, with a deep dive into the single most MCAT-tested virus of all: HIV. Get started with our resources! 📌 Success Advising (get clarity on where you are and on what support and resources are necessary for your success): https://calendly.com/academic-advisin... 💻 Try our Chrome Extension (expert solutions to every AAMC passage): https://tinyurl.com/4jw5pad8 📚 Free QBANK: https://jackwestin.com/qbank/?utm_sou... 🎓 Live Sessions: https://jackwestin.com/sessions?utm_s... 👨🏻‍🏫 Courses (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/courses?utm_so... 🙋 Tutoring (guaranteed to improve your score): https://jackwestin.com/services/live-... 0:00 – Intro: recap of cellular trafficking & today's topic (viruses) 2:00 – What is a virus? Genome, capsid, and envelope 5:00 – Is a virus alive? The criteria for a living cell 7:30 – DNA viruses vs. RNA viruses: where replication happens 10:00 – Positive-sense vs. negative-sense RNA viruses 14:00 – RNA-dependent RNA polymerase explained 16:00 – Retroviruses and reverse transcriptase 20:30 – Viral entry: receptor binding and tropism 23:30 – Enveloped viruses: entry via membrane fusion 26:00 – Non-enveloped viruses: entry via endocytosis 29:00 – How viruses shut down host cell function 31:30 – Why RNA viruses mutate faster than DNA viruses 34:30 – Introducing HIV and the retrovirus life cycle 37:00 – HIV: CD4 receptors, reverse transcription, and integration 41:00 – Why HIV is especially dangerous 43:30 – Viral release: lysis vs. budding 47:00 – Bacteriophages: lytic vs. lysogenic cycles 50:30 – Phage therapy and real-world applications 52:30 – Wrap-up & preview of next episode: the immune system