The Role of Lipids in Virus Replication

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 13026

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY 12208, USA
Interests: flaviviridae family of viruses; virus genome replication; particle biogenesis and virus pathogenesis; flaviviruses and host lipid metabolism; flaviviruses and the innate immune response

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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 106 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, USA
Interests: RNA viruses; influenza; vaccine development; antiviral development; viral immunology; viral pathogenesis; molecular virology; virus–host interaction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lipids are major constituents of the plasma membrane as well as intracellular membranes. They contribute to a vast array of cellular processes, including membrane integrity, membrane trafficking, energy storage, cell signaling, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell differentiation, and the modulation of the innate immune response. Hence, major alterations in these lipids can have a deleterious impact on the host. With recent advances in lipidomics, there is a better understanding of how viruses modulate distinct host lipid metabolic pathways to successfully replicate and/or cause pathogenesis. This Special Issue of Viruses seeks to spotlight recent findings on the role of various lipids in virus entry, genome replication, and/or virus particle biogenesis. Research studies of human, animal, or plant importance are within the scope of this Issue. We also invite studies focusing on the role of lipids on innate immune regulation during virus replication.

Dr. Kouacou Konan
Dr. Eric Yager
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4124 KiB  
Article
Mutation of Hydrophobic Residues in the C-Terminal Domain of the Marburg Virus Matrix Protein VP40 Disrupts Trafficking to the Plasma Membrane
by Kaveesha J. Wijesinghe, Luke McVeigh, Monica L. Husby, Nisha Bhattarai, Jia Ma, Bernard S. Gerstman, Prem P. Chapagain and Robert V. Stahelin
Viruses 2020, 12(4), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12040482 - 24 Apr 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3919
Abstract
Marburg virus (MARV) is a lipid-enveloped negative sense single stranded RNA virus, which can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever. MARV encodes seven proteins, including VP40 (mVP40), a matrix protein that interacts with the cytoplasmic leaflet of the host cell plasma membrane. VP40 traffics [...] Read more.
Marburg virus (MARV) is a lipid-enveloped negative sense single stranded RNA virus, which can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever. MARV encodes seven proteins, including VP40 (mVP40), a matrix protein that interacts with the cytoplasmic leaflet of the host cell plasma membrane. VP40 traffics to the plasma membrane inner leaflet, where it assembles to facilitate the budding of viral particles. VP40 is a multifunctional protein that interacts with several host proteins and lipids to complete the viral replication cycle, but many of these host interactions remain unknown or are poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated the role of a hydrophobic loop region in the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of mVP40 that shares sequence similarity with the CTD of Ebola virus VP40 (eVP40). These conserved hydrophobic residues in eVP40 have been previously shown to be critical to plasma membrane localization and membrane insertion. An array of cellular experiments and confirmatory in vitro work strongly suggests proper orientation and hydrophobic residues (Phe281, Leu283, and Phe286) in the mVP40 CTD are critical to plasma membrane localization. In line with the different functions proposed for eVP40 and mVP40 CTD hydrophobic residues, molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate large flexibility of residues in the EBOV CTD whereas conserved mVP40 hydrophobic residues are more restricted in their flexibility. This study sheds further light on important amino acids and structural features in mVP40 required for its plasma membrane localization as well as differences in the functional role of CTD amino acids in eVP40 and mVP40. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Lipids in Virus Replication)
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Review

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12 pages, 939 KiB  
Review
Current Understanding of the Role of Cholesterol in the Life Cycle of Alphaviruses
by Ivanildo P. Sousa, Jr., Carlos A. M. Carvalho and Andre M. O. Gomes
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010035 - 29 Dec 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3855
Abstract
Enveloped viruses rely on different lipid classes present in cell membranes to accomplish several steps of their life cycle in the host. Particularly for alphaviruses, a medically important group of arboviruses, which are part of the Togaviridae family, cholesterol seems to be a [...] Read more.
Enveloped viruses rely on different lipid classes present in cell membranes to accomplish several steps of their life cycle in the host. Particularly for alphaviruses, a medically important group of arboviruses, which are part of the Togaviridae family, cholesterol seems to be a critical lipid exploited during infection, although its relevance may vary depending on which stage of the virus life cycle is under consideration and whether infection takes place in vertebrate or invertebrate hosts. In this review, the role of cholesterol in both early and late events of alphavirus infection and how viral replication may affect cholesterol metabolism are summarized, taking into account studies on Old World and New World alphaviruses in different cell lines. Moreover, the importance of cholesterol for the structural stability of alphavirus particles is also discussed, shedding light on the role played by this lipid when they leave the host cell. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Lipids in Virus Replication)
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16 pages, 1136 KiB  
Review
The Role of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate Kinases during Viral Infection
by Anne Beziau, Denys Brand and Eric Piver
Viruses 2020, 12(10), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/v12101124 - 3 Oct 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4064
Abstract
Phosphoinositides account for only a small proportion of cellular phospholipids, but have long been known to play an important role in diverse cellular processes, such as cell signaling, the establishment of organelle identity, and the regulation of cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics. As expected, [...] Read more.
Phosphoinositides account for only a small proportion of cellular phospholipids, but have long been known to play an important role in diverse cellular processes, such as cell signaling, the establishment of organelle identity, and the regulation of cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics. As expected, given their pleiotropic regulatory functions, they have key functions in viral replication. The spatial restriction and steady-state levels of each phosphoinositide depend primarily on the concerted action of specific phosphoinositide kinases and phosphatases. This review focuses on a number of remarkable examples of viral strategies involving phosphoinositide kinases to ensure effective viral replication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Lipids in Virus Replication)
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