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Most enveloped viruses acquire their lipid bilayer by budding through the plasma membrane of the host cell. What's the exception, which buds through the host nuclear membrane to acquire its envelope?

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Final answer:

The Herpesviridae family is the exception to the general rule of enveloped viruses acquiring their envelopes from the plasma membrane; instead, they bud through the host's nuclear membrane.

Step-by-step explanation:

Most enveloped viruses acquire their envelope lipid bilayer by budding through the plasma membrane of the host cell. The exception to this general rule is the Herpesviridae family, which acquires its envelope by budding through the host nuclear membrane.

Explanation

While the majority of enveloped viruses use the host cell's plasma membrane to form their envelope, certain viruses such as Herpesviruses utilize the host's nuclear membrane for this process. After replicating their genetic material and assembling new virus particles, these viruses migrate to the nuclear envelope. Here, they bud from the inner nuclear membrane into the space between the inner and outer nuclear membranes. They then acquire the lipid bilayer by budding through the host's nuclear membrane, embracing it as their envelope. This is in contrast to viruses like the influenza virus and HIV, which bud through the plasma membrane. The proteins on the viral envelope facilitate host cell recognition and entry during subsequent infection cycles.

HSV is a DNA virus that causes oral and genital herpes infections. It has the ability to invade the host cell nucleus and acquire its lipid envelope from the nuclear membrane during the budding process. This unique mechanism of acquiring the envelope allows HSV to evade the host immune system and establish persistent infections.

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