Host cell

The term "host cell" refers to any living cell that supports the life cycle of a pathogen, most frequently viruses. Viruses exploit the cellular machinery of the host cell—including organelles, enzymes, ribosomes, and energy-generating systems—to replicate and produce viral proteins[2][4][5]. Pathogen entry into the host cell typically involves specific interactions between viral proteins and cell-surface receptors, followed by hijacking of host processes such as transcription and translation[3][2][4]. Although specific host factors can serve as therapeutic targets (for example, the CD4 receptor for HIV, or cellular kinases and entry factors), "host cell" itself is not specific enough to serve as a canonical drug target. Instead, the term is used broadly in cell biology, immunology, and virology to describe the cells upon which pathogens depend for replication and propagation[2][4][5].

Other names

host cellscellular hostinfected cellsusceptible cell