Assembly and Budding of Filoviruses from the Host Cell Plasma Membrane

Abstract

Lipid enveloped viruses replicate and bud from the host cell where they acquire their lipid coat. Filoviruses are lipid-enveloped viruses that have a filamentous lipid-envelope and despite being discovered more than 40 years ago, not much is known on how they interact with host cell lipids to achieve new virion formation. Filoviruses bud from the plasma membrane of the host cell and cause viral hemorrhagic fever with high fatality rates. Filoviruses include Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV), which are classified as category A pathogens by the NIH as they pose a serious public health and national security risk.