Process

Viruses of the lytic cycle are called virulent

viruses. The lytic cycle is a five-stage cycle.
Attachment. The virus first attaches itself to a
specific host cell. In the case of the T4 phage,
a commonly studied bacteriophage that
infects the bacterium Escherichia coli, this
attachment is done by the tail fibers of the
virus having proteins that have an affinity
with the host cell wall. The virus attaches at
places called receptor sites (Towle 1989). A
virus also may attach by simple mechanical
forces.
Penetration. To infect a cell, a virus must first
enter the cell through the plasma
membrane and (if present) the cell wall. It
then releases its genetic material (either
single- or double-stranded RNA or DNA) into
the cell. In the case of the T4 phage, after
attachment to the host cell, the virus first
releases releases an enzyme that weakens a
spot in the cell wall of the host (Towle 1989).
The virus then injects its genetic material
much like a hypodermic needle, pressing its sheath up against the cell and injecting its DNA into the host cell through the weak
spot in the cell wall. The empty capsid stays on the outside of the host cell. Other viruses enter their host cell intact, and once
inside the capsid dissolves and the genetic material is released; this process is known as uncoating (Towle 1989). Once the virus
has infected the cell, it also can be targeted by the immune system.
Replication. The virus' nucleic acid uses the host cell’s machinery to make large amounts of viral components, both the viral
genetic material (DNA or RNA) and the viral proteins that comprise the structural parts of the virus. In the case of DNA viruses,
the DNA transcribes itself into messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that are then used to direct the cell's ribosomes. One of the
first polypeptides to be translated is one that destroys the hosts' DNA. In retroviruses (which inject an RNA strand), a unique
enzyme called reverse transcriptase transcribes the viral RNA into DNA, which is then transcribed again into RNA. In the case of
the T4 phage, the E. coli DNA is inactivated and then the DNA of the viral genome takes over, with the viral DNA making RNA
from nucleotides in the host cell by using the enzymes of the host cell.
The replication is often (for example, in T4) regulated in three phases of mRNA production followed by a phase of protein
production (Madigan and Martinko 2006). In the early phase, the enzymes involved modify the hosts DNA replication by RNA
polymerase. Among other modifications, virus T4 changes the sigma factor of the host by producing an anti-sigma factor so that
the host promotors are not recognized any more but now recognize T4 middle proteins. In the middle phase, the virus nucleic
acid is produced (DNA or RNA depending on virus type). In the late phase, the structural proteins are produced, including those
for the head and the tail.
Assembly. After many copies of viral components are made, they are assembled into complete viruses. In the case of the T4
phage, proteins coded for by the phage DNA act as enzymes for construction of the new phages (Towle 1989). The entire host
metabolism is directed toward this assembly, resulting in a cell filled with new viruses.
Lysis. After assembly of the new virus particles, an enzyme is produced that breaks down the bacteria cell wall from within and
allows fluid to enter. The cell eventually becomes filled with viruses (typically 100-200) and liquid, and bursts, or lyses—thus
giving the lytic cycle its name. The new viruses are then free to infect other cells and start the process again.