Editorial overview: Viral pathogenesis: New technologies to advance research in human viral pathogenesis
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Harry B. Greenberg, Diane E. Griffin (Source: Current Opinion in Virology)
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Recent advances in viral vectors in veterinary vaccinology
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Michael D .Baron, Munir Iqbal, Venugopal NairViral vectored vaccines, particularly using vectors such as adenovirus, herpesvirus and poxviruses, are used widely in veterinary medicine, where this technology has been adopted much more quickly than in human medicine. There are now a large number of programmes to develop viral vector vaccine platforms for humans and very similar or identical vectors are being developed for veterinary medicine. The shared experiences of developing these new vaccine platforms across the two disciplines is accel...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
The use of longitudinal cohorts for studies of dengue viral pathogenesis and protection
We describe how longitudinal cohorts enable measurement of essential disease parameters and risk factors; provide insights into biological correlates of protection and disease risk; enable rapid application of novel biological and statistical technologies; lead to development of new interventions and inform vaccine trial design; serve as sentinels in outbreak conditions and facilitate development of critical diagnostic assays; enable holistic studies on disease in the context of other infections, comorbidities, and environmental risk factors; and build research capacity that strengthens national and global public health re...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
The use of humanized mice for studies of viral pathogenesis and immunity
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Florian Douam, Alexander PlossHumanized mice, that is, animals engrafted with human tissues and/or expressing human genes, have been instrumental in improving our understanding of the pathogenesis and immunological processes that define some of the most challenging human-tropic viruses. In particular, mice engrafted with components of a human immune system (HIS) offer unprecedented opportunities for mechanistic studies of human immune responses to infection. Here, we provide a brief overview of the current panel of HIS mouse models availab...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Human organoid cultures: transformative new tools for human virus studies
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Sasirekha Ramani, Sue E Crawford, Sarah E Blutt, Mary K EstesStudies of human infectious diseases have been limited by the paucity of functional models that mimic normal human physiology and pathophysiology. Recent advances in the development of multicellular, physiologically active organotypic cultures produced from embryonic and pluripotent stem cells, as well as from stem cells isolated from biopsies and surgical specimens are allowing unprecedented new studies and discoveries about host–microbe interactions. Here, we summarize recent...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
CRISPR genetic screens to discover host–virus interactions
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): William M .McDougall, Jill M Perreira, Erin C Reynolds, Abraham L BrassViruses impose an immense burden on human health. With the goal of treating and preventing viral infections, researchers have carried out genetic screens to improve our understanding of viral dependencies and identify potential anti-viral strategies. The emergence of CRISPR genetic screening tools has facilitated this effort by enabling host–virus screens to be undertaken in a more versatile and fidelitous manner than previously possible. Here we review the growing nu...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Editorial overview: Preventive and therapeutic vaccines
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Marc HV Van Regenmortel (Source: Current Opinion in Virology)
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Rift Valley fever vaccines: current and future needs
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Baptiste Dungu, Baratang A Lubisi, Tetsuro IkegamiRift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne bunyaviral disease associated with high abortion rates, neonatal deaths, and fetal malformations in ruminants, and mild to severe disease in humans. Outbreaks of RVF cause huge economic losses and public health impacts in endemic countries in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. A proper vaccination strategy is important for preventing or minimizing outbreaks. Vaccination against RVF is not practiced in many countries, however, due to absenc...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
The use of single-cell RNA-Seq to understand virus–host interactions
Publication date: April 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 29Author(s): Sara Cristinelli, Angela CiuffiSingle-cell analyses allow uncovering cellular heterogeneity, not only per se, but also in response to viral infection. Similarly, single cell transcriptome analyses (scRNA-Seq) can highlight specific signatures, identifying cell subsets with particular phenotypes, which are relevant in the understanding of virus–host interactions.Graphical abstract (Source: Current Opinion in Virology)
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Norovirus, glycans and attachment
Publication date: Available online 11 May 2018Source: Current Opinion in VirologyAuthor(s): Stefan Taube, Alvaro Mallagaray, Thomas PetersNoroviruses engage glycans as essential attachment factors to promote infection of host cells. The past decade has witnessed significant progress in the field of norovirus research. Cell culture systems and animal models have become available, and structural biology and biophysics have significantly expanded our understanding of norovirus–glycan interactions. From crystallography, many high-resolution crystal structures are now available disclosing key elements of glycan recognition at...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Lassa virus glycoprotein: stopping a moving target
Publication date: Available online 26 May 2018Source: Current Opinion in VirologyAuthor(s): Kathryn M Hastie, Erica Ollmann SaphireThe structure of a prefusion arenavirus GPC was enigmatic for many years, owing to the metastable and non-covalent nature of the association between the receptor binding and fusion subunits. Recent engineering efforts to stabilize the glycoprotein of the Old World arenavirus Lassa in a native, yet cleaved state, allowed the first structure of any arenavirus prefusion GPC trimer to be determined. Comparison of this structure with the structures of other arenavirus glycoprotein subunits reveals s...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Norovirus assembly and stability
Publication date: Available online 30 May 2018Source: Current Opinion in VirologyAuthor(s): Ronja Pogan, Jasmin Dülfer, Charlotte UetrechtNoroviruses are rapidly evolving RNA viruses and are generally known as the main cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Particle stability is of special interest as transmission occurs via the faecal-oral route and virions are able to persist in the environment. Studies on norovirus capsid assembly and disassembly rely mainly on norovirus-like particles. Notably, stability of several human, murine and bovine variants has been investigated revealing distinct patterns of stability and ...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Virus entry and its inhibition to prevent and treat hepatitis B and hepatitis D virus infections
Publication date: June 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 30Author(s): Thomas Tu, Stephan UrbanWhile chronic infection with the human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) inflict major health burdens worldwide, current therapies cannot cure patients. One possible novel approach is blocking virus entry to prevent the establishment of infection in naïve hepatocytes. As HBV and HDV use identical viral envelope proteins and the same entry mechanisms, such a strategy would target both viruses. Entry inhibitors (e.g. neutralizing antibodies) have been relegated to the limited role of prophylaxis....
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
From recognition to execution — the HCMV Pentamer from receptor binding to fusion triggering
Publication date: Available online 1 June 2018Source: Current Opinion in VirologyAuthor(s): Enrico Malito, Sumana Chandramouli, Andrea CarfiThe β-herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading viral cause of neonatal developmental disabilities. In HCMV, the conserved herpesvirus glycoprotein B (gB) mediates membrane fusion between the viral and host cell membranes, whereas the trimeric gH/gL/gO or the pentameric gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL31A complexes (Pentamer) bind to cell-specific receptors and provide the triggering signal to gB. Recent structural and functional studies have provided new insights into Pentamer stru...
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
Editors-Board-Issue sections
Publication date: June 2018Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 30Author(s): (Source: Current Opinion in Virology)
Source: Current Opinion in Virology - July 10, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research
