Model of DENV binding and replication by platelets. DENV belongs to the Flaviviridae family and is transmitted to humans by infected female mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. When an infected mosquito bites a human, DENV enters the bloodstream and binds to platelets via heparin sulfate proteoglycans (HSP) and DC-SIGN. Through mechanisms that are unresolved, the DENV enters into platelets and the viral particle is uncoated (decapsidation). This uncoating process releases the (+)ssRNA virus genome into the cytosol, where the (+)ssRNA directs the synthesis of viral proteins, and then the generation of a minus strand, which is transcribed into new plus-stranded molecules (replication). Nucleocapsid assembly and maturation ensue in the Golgi, leading to infectious virus production. See Figure 7 in the article by Simon et al that begins on page 378.