After a virus has injected its genetic material into a cell, what happens to the spent protein hull?

Question

After a virus has injected its genetic material into a cell, what happens to the spent protein hull?

In: Biology

Answer 1

It depends on the type of virus. For example, HIV has an envelope that binds with the fuses with the cell membrane and then releases its genetic material from a secondary protein capsid once inside the cell. This is then recycled by the cell or presented as pathogen associated molecular patterns on the cell to be recognised by immune cells. Very few viruses actually “inject” their genetic material from outside the cell in the way that is traditionally thought of. This mechanism of infection is mostly seen with bacteriophages in which cake the viral particle just breaks down once it has completed its function of infecting another cell.