Final answer:
Viral nucleic acid enters host cells, initiating the replication cycle, directing replication, gene transcription, protein synthesis, and potentially cell lysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Almost instantly after viral nucleic acid enters a host cell, a number of crucial steps take place to start the viral replication cycle. The release of the viral genetic material—either DNA or RNA—into the cytoplasm of the host cell is a critical stage.
The interaction between the viral envelope or capsid and the host cell membrane, which results in the injection or release of genetic material, frequently facilitates this process. Once within, the host cell's machinery is taken over by the viral nucleic acid, which instructs it to duplicate the viral genome, transcribe viral genes, and produce viral proteins.
This initiates the life cycle of the virus, which eventually results in the synthesis of fresh virus particles and the possible lysis of the host cell.