In an enveloped animal virus, the envelope is derived from
- A. protein synthesised by the viral genome alone
- B. the membrane of the host cell it budded from
- C. the nucleic acid core of the virus
- D. capsomeres rearranged after assembly
Explanation
As the assembled particle buds out of an infected cell it wraps itself in a patch of the host's plasma membrane or nuclear membrane, so the envelope is host lipid carrying virally coded glycoprotein spikes. This is why enveloped viruses such as HIV and influenza are easily destroyed by soap and alcohol, which dissolve lipid. The spikes are viral, but the lipid bilayer itself is not.
Related questions
The genetic material of tobacco mosaic virus is
A bacteriophage recognises and attaches to a specific bacterial cell by means of its
Which event occurs in the lysogenic cycle but never in the lytic cycle?
Viral DNA that has become integrated into the chromosome of a bacterium is called a
Which statement about viruses is NOT correct?