Viral replication cycle

The viral replication cycle is the process by which viruses reproduce and produce new virions within host cells. It typically encompasses sequential steps—attachment, penetration, uncoating, genome replication, assembly, and release—whereby viruses hijack host cellular machinery to generate progeny[1][3][5][7][9]. Each step involves specific molecular interactions or viral proteins, many of which are individually considered therapeutic drug targets. Antiviral drug development often seeks to inhibit one or more of these steps by targeting viral enzymes (such as polymerases and proteases), structural elements, or host factors essential for viral replication[2][4][6][10]. However, as a non-molecular, process-level term, "viral replication cycle" does not itself constitute a direct molecular drug target and should be annotated at the level of its molecular components or critical steps. In summary, "viral replication cycle" is not a molecular target but a biological process, making it an incorrect, overly broad entry for structured molecular target data. For drug development, annotation should occur at the level of specific viral or host proteins involved in individual steps of this cycle[2][4][6][7][10].

Other names

Virus replication cycleVirus life cycleViral life cycle