Virus Explorer

This diagram shows how Ebola virus replicates, or makes copies of itself. Glycoproteins on Ebola virus’s surface bind to specific receptors on the host cell’s surface (A). This triggers a process called endocytosis (B), which brings the virus into the cell in an enclosed structure (vesicle) called an endosome. Acidic substances build up inside the endosome, lowering the pH and triggering the endosome’s membrane to fuse with the virus’s envelope. This releases the virus’s (–)RNA genome and viral polymerase proteins into the cell’s cytosol (C).

The viral polymerase transcribes the virus’s (–)RNA genome into a complementary (+)RNA template (D). This template is used to make copies of the virus’s whole (–)RNA genome (E).

The viral (–)RNA is also transcribed into mRNAs (F), which are translated into proteins by ribosomes in the cytosol and on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (G). Ebola virus glycoproteins go through protein processing in the ER-Golgi network (H), then are transported to the cell membrane.

Viral genomes and proteins are assembled into new viruses (I), which leave the cell through a process called budding (J). This process surrounds the virus in a piece of the cell membrane containing viral proteins, which becomes the virus’s envelope.