Viral calciomics: interplays between Ca2+ and virus.

Area of Science:

• Cellular Biology
• Virology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Calcium ions (Ca2+) are fundamental signaling molecules regulating cellular processes.
• Viruses exploit cellular Ca2+ signaling pathways to facilitate their replication cycles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review known mechanisms of viral manipulation of Ca2+ homeostasis.
• To identify novel Ca2+-binding motifs in viral proteins and assess their implications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of viral interactions with Ca2+ signaling.
• Development and application of an algorithm to detect linear EF-hand Ca2+-binding motifs in viral proteomes.

Main Results:

• Viruses utilize Ca2+ for various stages including virion formation, entry, gene expression, protein processing, maturation, and release.
• Identified 93 previously unrecognized Ca2+-binding motifs in viral proteins, many within nonstructural proteins.
• This discovery broadens the known scope of Ca2+-virus interactions.

Conclusions:

• Viral manipulation of Ca2+ homeostasis is a widespread strategy.
• The identification of novel Ca2+-binding motifs in viral proteins, particularly nonstructural ones, highlights a previously underappreciated aspect of viral biology.
• These findings significantly expand the field of viral calciomics.