The stage of viral replication in which the viral nucleic acid is released inside the cell is ?
Asssenbly
The stage of viral replication in which the viral nucleic acid is released inside the cell is called "uncoating."
To understand why, let's break down the process of viral replication:
1. Attachment: The virus attaches to the surface of the host cell.
2. Entry: The virus enters the host cell, usually by fusing with the cell membrane or being engulfed by the cell.
3. Uncoating: Once inside the cell, the virus sheds its protein coat (capsid) to release its genetic material (nucleic acid). This step of uncoating allows the viral nucleic acid to become available for replication and hijack the host's cellular machinery.
4. Replication: The viral nucleic acid takes control of the host's cellular machinery to produce more viral components.
5. Assembly: The replicated viral components come together to assemble new virus particles.
6. Release: The newly formed virus particles are released from the host cell, either by cell lysis (breaking open of the cell) or by budding off from the cell membrane.
So, the specific stage you are referring to is the uncoating stage. It's the point at which the viral nucleic acid is released from the protein coat inside the cell, allowing it to begin replicating and hijacking the host's cellular machinery.