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Common principles in viral entry.
Minna M Poranen1, Rimantas Daugelavicius, Dennis H Bamford
1Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. minna.poranen@helsinki.fi
Annual Review of Microbiology
|July 27, 2002
Summary
Viruses, which outnumber host cells, use common strategies to enter Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea cells. Viral entry mechanisms include membrane fusion, channel formation, or vesicle disruption for successful host cell penetration.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Viruses are ubiquitous biological entities infecting all domains of life: Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea.
- Viral populations significantly outnumber their host cells across the biosphere.
- Despite diverse evolutionary adaptations, viruses share common challenges and strategies, particularly during host cell entry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the common problems viruses face during host cell entry.
- To identify conserved strategies employed by viruses for penetrating host cell envelopes.
- To compare viral entry mechanisms across different host domains.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of viral entry mechanisms.
- Review of established viral and host cell interactions.
- Examination of membrane penetration strategies across diverse viral types.
Main Results:
- Viruses employ conserved strategies to overcome host cell entry barriers.
- Common viral entry mechanisms include membrane fusion, channel formation, and membrane vesicle disruption.
- Endocytic-type events and membrane fusion are observed in both bacterial and animal virus entry.
Conclusions:
- Viral entry into host cells, regardless of the host domain, involves fundamental, conserved processes.
- Understanding these common viral strategies is crucial for comprehending viral pathogenesis and developing antiviral therapies.
- The study highlights convergent evolution in viral strategies for host cell invasion.