While most DNA viruses replicate inside the host cell's nucleus, large DNA viruses, such as poxviruses, are exceptions that replicate within the cytoplasm.

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During the replication of animal viruses in eukaryotic host cells, the site of genomic replication depends on the nucleic acid type: most DNA viruses replicate their genomes within the cell nucleus, whereas most RNA viruses replicate within the cytoplasm.

Nucleic acid biosynthesis of Animal Viruses

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Cytoplasmic Replication of DNA Viruses

While RNA viruses that infect animal cells generally replicate in the cytoplasm, the influenza virus is a notable exception to this replication location.

Exception to RNA Animal Virus Replication Location

An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) is a viral enzyme that synthesizes a complementary RNA strand from an RNA template, enabling the replication and transcription of viral RNA genomes.

RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase

If an animal virus has a positive single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) genome, its genomic RNA acts similarly to cellular mRNA and can be translated directly by host ribosomes to synthesize viral proteins.

Replication of +ssRNA Animal Viruses

If an animal virus has a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genome, host enzymes synthesize a complementary second strand to produce double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). This double-stranded DNA is then replicated, transcribed, and translated in the same manner as host cell DNA.

Replication of ssDNA Animal Viruses

Reverse transcriptase is a viral enzyme carried within the capsid of retroviruses, such as HIV, that synthesizes a complementary single-stranded DNA (cDNA) copy using the viral positive single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) genome as a template.

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