by Gertrud U. Rey
Some viruses have a lipid envelope surrounding their protein capsid, which they get from the host cell membrane during the budding process. The envelope acts as an anchor for viral glycoproteins, which facilitate entry of the newly budded virus into a new cell by recognizing and binding host cell receptors. Such “enveloped” viruses are distinct from “naked” viruses, which lack this envelope because they exit the cell by lysing it.