When viruses lose their envelope during penetration into a host cell, or when the envelope/capsid are dissolved within a vacuole, it is referred to as .

When viruses lose their envelope during penetration into a host cell, or when the envelope/capsid are dissolved within a vacuole, it is referred to as uncoating. Uncoating is a critical step in the viral lifecycle, allowing the viral nucleic acids to be released into the host cell and begin the process of replication. This process varies among different types of viruses and is essential for the establishment of infection. It typically follows the binding of the virus to specific receptors on the surface of the host cell, leading to entry and subsequent release of the viral genome into the cytoplasm.