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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Viral Tracing of Genetically Defined Neural Circuitry
Published on: October 17, 2012
Virus trafficking - learning from single-virus tracking
Boerries Brandenburg1, Xiaowei Zhuang
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Abstract:
What could be a better way to study virus trafficking than 'miniaturizing oneself' and 'taking a ride with the virus particle' on its journey into the cell? Single-virus tracking in living cells potentially provides us with the means to visualize the virus journey. This approach allows us to follow the fate of individual virus particles and monitor dynamic interactions between viruses and cellular structures, revealing previously unobservable infection steps. The entry, trafficking and egress mechanisms of various animal viruses have been elucidated using this method. The combination of single-virus trafficking with systems approaches and state-of-the-art imaging technologies should prove exciting in the future.
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