Fig. 3. A model for raft virus assembly. The proposed role of rafts in virus assembly is depicted. The plasma membrane contains domains of locally varying lipid composition (1). Virus infection leads to the production of viral proteins and their distribution to the cell surface (2). The affinity of the viral proteins for particular lipid populations will lead to recruitment of more of those lipids and their enrichment in the neighbourhood of the proteins (3). This will result in the formation of rafts enriched in lipids that have affinity for the viral protein and the recruitment of further lipids and proteins with similar affinity. This process would continue until the collection of viral proteins and their interaction with the inner leaflet of the membrane results in curvature and budding (4).

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