Role of cytoskeletal motor proteins in viral infection

Cytoskeleton, composed of actin filaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments, regulates many processes in the cell, e.g. intracellular transport. Actin and microtubules are polarized structures, along which bidirectional transport of motor proteins occurs: myosins along actin and the dynein/dynactin complex and kinesins along microtubules. Viruses interact with the cytoskeleton and motor proteins at different stages during their replication cycle. When entering and egressing the cell, viruses must penetrate the cortical layer of microfilaments, which usually takes place with the contribution of myosin. In the cytoplasm, retrograde transport involving dynein is used to move viruses to the microtubule organizing center. After replication, kinesins participate in anterograde transport of newly produced virions to the peripheral region, close to the plasma membrane. Some families of viruses have developed alternate routes of intracellular transport. The aim of this study is to describe the interactions between virus and cytoskeletal motor proteins and to determine their role in viral infection according to the current literature data.