Virus Explorer

This diagram shows how HIV replicates, or makes copies of itself. Glycoproteins on the surface of HIV bind to specific receptors on the host cell’s surface (A). This triggers the cell membrane to fuse with the virus’s envelope, releasing the virus’s (+)RNA genome and viral proteins, including reverse transcriptase and integrase, into the cell’s cytosol (B).

The viral reverse transcriptase transcribes the virus’s (+)RNA genome into complementary DNA (cDNA) in a process known as reverse transcription (C). This is then used to make a dsDNA copy of the virus’s genome. The DNA copy travels to the nucleus and is inserted into the cell’s genome by the viral integrase.

The viral genome is transcribed by the host machinery alongside the host genome (D). This produces more copies of the virus’s (+)RNA genome (E), as well as mRNAs (F). The mRNAs leave the nucleus and are translated into proteins by ribosomes in the cytosol and on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (G). HIV glycoproteins are further modified through protein processing in the ER-Golgi network (H), then are transported to the cell membrane.

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