Viruses and Lipids

Akira Ono

doi:10.3390/v2051236

Abstract

As obligatory intracellular pathogens, viruses exploit various cellular molecules and structures, such as cellular membranes, for their propagation. Enveloped viruses acquire lipid membranes as their outer coat through interactions with cellular membranes during morphogenesis within, and egress from, infected cells. In contrast, non-enveloped viruses typically exit cells by cell lysis, and lipid membranes are not part of the released virions. However, non-enveloped viruses also interact with lipid membranes at least during entry into target cells. Therefore, lipids, as part of cellular membranes, inevitably play some roles in life cycle of viruses. [...]

Highlights

As obligatory intracellular pathogens, viruses exploit various cellular molecules and structures, such as cellular membranes, for their propagation
Non-enveloped viruses interact with lipid membranes at least during entry into target cells
With the emergence and establishment of concepts such as lipid rafts and headgroupspecific lipid-protein interactions [1,2], our understanding of relationships between viruses and lipids has evolved substantially in the recent years. This special issue of Viruses, “Role of Lipids in Virus Replication”, brings together reviews by experts of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. They discuss the latest views on interactions of viruses with lipids and/or lipid-based structures in various aspects of the virus life cycle, ranging from entry, to genome replication, to assembly and release

Summary

Introduction

Viruses exploit various cellular molecules and structures, such as cellular membranes, for their propagation. Enveloped viruses acquire lipid membranes as their outer coat through interactions with cellular membranes during morphogenesis within, and egress from, infected cells. Non-enveloped viruses typically exit cells by cell lysis, and lipid membranes are not part of the released virions.

Results

Conclusion