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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Antiviral Res. 2008 Jun 11;80(1):11–22. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2008.05.004

Figure 1. The flavivirus life cycle.

Figure 1

A. Virions bind to cell-surface attachment molecules and receptors and are internalized through endocytosis. B. In the low pH of the endosome, viral glycoproteins mediate fusion of viral and cellular membranes, allowing disassembly of the virion and release of RNA into the cytoplasm. C. Viral RNA is translated into a polyprotein that is processed by viral and cellular proteases. D. Viral non-structural proteins replicate the genome RNA. E. Virus assembly occurs at the ER membrane, where capsid protein and viral RNA are enveloped by the ER membrane and glycoproteins to form immature virus particles. F. Immature virus particles are transported through the secretory pathway. In the low pH of the trans-Golgi, network (TGN) furin-mediated cleavage of prM drives maturation of the virus. G. Mature virus is released into the cytoplasm. Numbers shown in colored boxes refer to the pH of the respective compartments.