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Viruses
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State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany
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State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "General Virology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2023) | Viewed by 13200

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Beatriz Escudero-Pérez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
2. German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Reims, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
Interests: emerging viruses; bats; immunology; molecular virology; Nipah; ebola; one health; vaccines

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The emergence of new pathogenic viruses and the prevalence of other threatening viral infections worldwide have fueled intense efforts to improve our knowledge and understanding of viruses.

To date, many achievements to elucidate and characterize the complexities of viruses have taken place in Germany. These include the study of viral pathogenic mechanisms, viral structures, virus discovery, virus ecology and epidemiology, virus evolution and transmission, the intricacies of host immune responses – virus interactions as well as the development of diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies and vaccination approaches, amongst others. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of viral research and state-of-the-art techniques and knowledge that have been developed in Germany in the last few years. Thus, in this Special Issue, "State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany", we aim to promote the publication of both reviews and original research studies conducted in Germany that have contributed to advancing the field of virology in the aforementioned aspects.

The study of eco-immuno-virological factors associated with viral infections, carried out in Germany or coordinated by German research teams globally could ultimately contribute to the control of viral infections and preparation for potential future pandemics.

Dr. Beatriz Escudero-Pérez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3460 KiB  
Article
Regulation of Stress-Activated Kinases in Response to Tacaribe Virus Infection and Its Implications for Viral Replication
by Julia Holzerland, Lucie Fénéant and Allison Groseth
Viruses 2022, 14(9), 2018; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14092018 - 12 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
Arenaviruses include important zoonotic pathogens that cause hemorrhagic fever (e.g., Junín virus; JUNV) as well as other viruses that are closely related but apathogenic (e.g., Tacaribe virus; TCRV). We have found that, while TCRV and JUNV differ in their ability to induce apoptosis [...] Read more.
Arenaviruses include important zoonotic pathogens that cause hemorrhagic fever (e.g., Junín virus; JUNV) as well as other viruses that are closely related but apathogenic (e.g., Tacaribe virus; TCRV). We have found that, while TCRV and JUNV differ in their ability to induce apoptosis in infected cells, due to active inhibition of caspase activation by the JUNV nucleoprotein, both viruses trigger similar upstream pro-apoptotic signaling events, including the activation/phosphorylation of p53. In the case of TCRV, the pro-apoptotic factor Bad is also phosphorylated (leading to its inactivation). These events clearly implicate upstream kinases in regulating the induction of apoptosis. Consistent with this, here we show activation in TCRV-infected cells of the stress-activated protein kinases p38 and JNK, which are known to regulate p53 activation, as well as the downstream kinase MK2 and transcription factor c-Jun. We also observed the early transient activation of Akt, but not Erk. Importantly, the chemical inhibition of Akt, p38, JNK and c-Jun all dramatically reduced viral growth, even though we have shown that inhibition of apoptosis itself does not. This indicates that kinase activation is crucial for viral infection, independent of its downstream role in apoptosis regulation, a finding that has the potential to shed further light on the determinants of arenavirus pathogenesis, as well as to inform future therapeutic approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany)
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Review

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14 pages, 624 KiB  
Review
Recent Developments in NSG and NRG Humanized Mouse Models for Their Use in Viral and Immune Research
by Maksym Kitsera, Jesús Emanuel Brunetti and Estefanía Rodríguez
Viruses 2023, 15(2), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020478 - 9 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4298
Abstract
Humanized mouse models have been widely used in virology, immunology, and oncology in the last decade. With advances in the generation of knockout mouse strains, it is now possible to generate animals in which human immune cells or human tissue can be engrafted. [...] Read more.
Humanized mouse models have been widely used in virology, immunology, and oncology in the last decade. With advances in the generation of knockout mouse strains, it is now possible to generate animals in which human immune cells or human tissue can be engrafted. These models have been used for the study of human infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of humanized mice to model human-specific viral infections. A human immune system in these models is crucial to understand the pathogenesis observed in human patients, which allows for better treatment design and vaccine development. Recent advances in our knowledge about viral pathogenicity and immune response using NSG and NRG mice are reviewed in this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany)
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18 pages, 816 KiB  
Review
Use of Hu-PBL Mice to Study Pathogenesis of Human-Restricted Viruses
by Jesús Emanuel Brunetti, Maksym Kitsera, César Muñoz-Fontela and Estefanía Rodríguez
Viruses 2023, 15(1), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15010228 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2619
Abstract
Different humanized mouse models have been developed to study human diseases such as autoimmune illnesses, cancer and viral infections. These models are based on the use of immunodeficient mouse strains that are transplanted with human tissues or human immune cells. Among the latter, [...] Read more.
Different humanized mouse models have been developed to study human diseases such as autoimmune illnesses, cancer and viral infections. These models are based on the use of immunodeficient mouse strains that are transplanted with human tissues or human immune cells. Among the latter, mice transplanted with hematopoietic stem cells have been widely used to study human infectious diseases. However, mouse models built upon the transplantation of donor-specific mature immune cells are still under development, especially in the field of viral infections. These models can retain the unique immune memory of the donor, making them suitable for the study of correlates of protection upon natural infection or vaccination. Here, we will review some of these models and how they have been applied to virology research. Moreover, the future applications and the potential of these models to design therapies against human viral infections are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany)
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25 pages, 6107 KiB  
Review
Animal Model Alternatives in Filovirus and Bornavirus Research
by Lina Widerspick, Johanna Friederike Steffen, Dennis Tappe and César Muñoz-Fontela
Viruses 2023, 15(1), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15010158 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3722
Abstract
The order Mononegavirales contains a variety of highly pathogenic viruses that may infect humans, including the families Filoviridae, Bornaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, and Rhabodoviridae. Animal models have historically been important to study virus pathogenicity and to develop medical countermeasures. As these [...] Read more.
The order Mononegavirales contains a variety of highly pathogenic viruses that may infect humans, including the families Filoviridae, Bornaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, and Rhabodoviridae. Animal models have historically been important to study virus pathogenicity and to develop medical countermeasures. As these have inherent shortcomings, the rise of microphysiological systems and organoids able to recapitulate hallmarks of the diseases caused by these viruses may have enormous potential to add to or partially replace animal modeling in the future. Indeed, microphysiological systems and organoids are already used in the pharmaceutical R&D pipeline because they are prefigured to overcome the translational gap between model systems and clinical studies. Moreover, they may serve to alleviate ethical concerns related to animal research. In this review, we discuss the value of animal model alternatives in human pathogenic filovirus and bornavirus research. The current animal models and their limitations are presented followed by an overview of existing alternatives, such as organoids and microphysiological systems, which might help answering open research questions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Virology Research in Germany)
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