Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

06:02
Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
Pathogenesis of flavivirus infections: using and abusing the host cell
Maria-Dolores Fernandez-Garcia1, Michela Mazzon, Michael Jacobs
1Unité Pathogénie Virale, INSERM U819, Institut Pasteur, Departement de Virologie, Paris, France.
Cell Host & Microbe
|April 22, 2009
Summary
Flaviviruses like dengue and West Nile virus manipulate host cells for infection. Understanding these viral-host interactions is key to developing treatments for flaviviral diseases.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Pathogenesis
Background:
- Flaviviruses, including dengue and West Nile viruses, are significant global health threats.
- While flavivirus structure and replication are understood, virus-host interactions remain complex.
- Emerging arthropod-borne viruses pose increasing challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current research on molecular mechanisms of flavivirus-host interactions.
- To highlight how flaviviruses manipulate host cell functions for replication.
- To emphasize the importance of these studies for understanding flaviviral disease pathogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on flavivirus molecular biology.
- Analysis of research elucidating virus-host molecular interactions.
- Synthesis of findings on host cell manipulation by flaviviruses.
Main Results:
- Flaviviruses employ complex molecular strategies to hijack host cell machinery.
- Specific viral proteins and host factors are identified as key players in infection.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for disease progression.
Conclusions:
- Elucidating flavivirus molecular mechanisms is vital for combating flaviviral diseases.
- Targeting virus-host interactions offers potential therapeutic strategies.
- Continued research is essential to unravel these complex biological processes.
Related Concept Videos
Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...
Retroviruses
Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
Influenza
Influenza is an acute, highly communicable viral disease that affects the respiratory tract and is responsible for seasonal epidemics worldwide. Influenza A is the most prevalent type associated with widespread outbreaks and is subtyped based on two surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), as in H1N1. These glycoproteins are essential for viral infectivity, transmission, and immune recognition. Transmission occurs primarily through respiratory droplets and contaminated...
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the lytic replication...
What are Viruses?
Overview
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the retrovirus to...

