3D model of the coronavirus The name is related to the structure of the virus, whose spike-like outgrowths resemble a solar corona. The purpose of the "corona" in coronaviruses is due to their specific mechanism of penetration through the cell membrane by mimicking "false molecules" of molecules to which the cells' transmembrane receptors respond. Once the receptor captures the fake molecule from the "corona," it is pushed through by the virus into the cell, and the RNA of the virus enters the cell behind it.