Question

Which stage of viral reproduction takes place when the spikes of the virus bind to a specific receptor molecule on the surface of a host cell?

Answer 1

Answer:

Attachment stage

Explanation:

Viruses are organisms that are incapable of replicating on their own, instead they infect a living host in order to make use of its transcriptional, replication and gene expression abilities to multiply. This process of infection characterizes the reproductive life cycle of the viral cell.

Normally, viruses are specific when infecting their hosts but they generally commence the infection cycle with ATTACHMENT. In this stage, the viral cell with the aid of its proteinous capsid binds to specific receptor site on the cell membrane of its host cell before making entry by incorporating its genetic material.