How does a typical virus get inside a cell?
A virus is not a living entity that can function and reproduce on its own; rather, it is a strand of DNA or RNA packaged in a protein shell. Viruses function by entering into a living cell, then tricking the cell into reproducing more of the virus’s genetic material.AdsorptionA virus particle, also called a viron, needs to infect a host cell in order to reproduce, a process known as the lysongenic cycle. Adsorbtion is the first phase of the lysongenic cycle, when a virus attaches to a cell wall and injects genetic material inside.BondingA viron’s protein coating is designed to attach to the plasma membrane of a cell that can support replication. The protein shell may attach to the cell membrane either through covalent bonding, in which atoms share electrons; or due to van der Waals forces, which are weak, fluctuating attractions between molecules.EntryIf both the virus’s protein envelope and the host cell’s membrane are made of lipids, the cell can envelop the entire virus, shell and a