Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 2165: Unravelling the Immunomodulatory Effects of Viral Ion Channels, towards the Treatment of Disease

Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 2165: Unravelling the Immunomodulatory Effects of Viral Ion Channels, towards the Treatment of Disease Viruses doi: 10.3390/v13112165 Authors: Siobhan Gargan Nigel J. Stevenson The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for the research community to develop a better understanding of viruses, in particular their modes of infection and replicative lifecycles, to aid in the development of novel vaccines and much needed anti-viral therapeutics. Several viruses express proteins capable of forming pores in host cellular membranes, termed “Viroporins”. They are a family of small hydrophobic proteins, with at least one amphipathic domain, which characteristically form oligomeric structures with central hydrophilic domains. Consequently, they can facilitate the transport of ions through the hydrophilic core. Viroporins localise to host membranes such as the endoplasmic reticulum and regulate ion homeostasis creating a favourable environment for viral infection. Viroporins also contribute to viral immune evasion via several mechanisms. Given that viroporins are often essential for virion assembly and egress, and as their structural features tend to be evolutionarily conserved, they are attractive targets for anti-viral therapeutics. This review discusses the current knowledge of several viroporins, namely Influenza A virus (IAV) M2, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 Viral protein U (Vpu), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) p7, Human Papillomavi...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research