Selective regulation in ribosome biogenesis and protein production for efficient viral translation

As intracellular parasites, viruses depend heavily on host cell structures and their functions to complete their life cycle and produce new viral particles. Viruses utilize or modulate cellular translational machinery to achieve efficient replication; the role of ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis in viral replication particularly highlights the importance of the ribosome quantity and/or quality in controlling viral protein synthesis. Recently reported studies have demonstrated that ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) and ribosomal proteins (RPs) act as multifaceted regulators in selective translation of viral transcripts. Here we summarize the recent literature on RBFs and RPs and their association with subcellular redistribution, post-translational modification, enzyme catalysis, and direct interaction with viral proteins. The advances described in this literature establish a rationale for targeting ribosome production and function in the design of the next generation of antiviral agents.