Definitions for "Host cell"
A cell in which another organism, such as a virus, lives. Human CD4 cells are host cells for HIV.
a cell whose metabolism is used by a virus for growth and reproduction or into which a plasmid is introduced in recombinant DNA experiments; in bioprocessing, the cells engineered and cultured to express a protein of interest are the expression system host cells.
A cell which has been infected with a virus. Viruses use host cells as a part of their life cycles, using the processes of the host cell to reproduce themselves.