The envelope consists of lipids from the host cell membrane. Following the incubation period the virus begins the process of replication. The virus binds to receptors on the host cell through the G-protein spikes. The virions enter the cell via pinocytosis. They aggregate into endosomes.
Transcription occurs in the cytoplasm.
The method of transcription for the rabies virus is called Stop-Start Transcription or sequential transcription. Transcription begins at the 3' end of the genome. Translation, the synthesis of the N, NS, M, L, and G proteins from the respective mRNA, occurs on free ribosomes in the cytoplasm. The N-protein in conjunction with the vRNA is responsible for switching from transcription to replication. The full length positive strand seves as a template for the vRNA copies, the full length negative strands.