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Calcium Ions Signaling: Targets for Attack and Utilization by Viruses

Yang Qu1,2, Yingjie Sun2, Zengqi Yang1

  • 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|July 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Viruses hijack cellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling pathways to promote their replication and evade immune responses. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing antiviral strategies targeting calcium homeostasis.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Virology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Calcium (Ca2+) acts as a critical intracellular second messenger in numerous cellular processes.
  • Maintaining calcium homeostasis is vital, involving channels, pumps, and proteins regulating Ca2+ levels.
  • Dysregulation of Ca2+ signaling can lead to adverse cellular effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the multifaceted role of Ca2+ signaling in viral infections.
  • To explore how viruses exploit Ca2+ pathways for their own benefit.
  • To discuss the implications for host cell fate and antiviral responses.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on Ca2+ signaling and viral interactions.
  • Analysis of research on Ca2+-related proteins and their role in viral pathogenesis.
  • Synthesis of information regarding Ca2+ in apoptosis and immune evasion during viral infections.

Main Results:

  • Viruses manipulate host Ca2+ signaling to facilitate invasion, replication, and release.
  • Hijacked Ca2+ pathways are used by viruses to regulate apoptosis and resist host immunity.
  • Ca2+ dysregulation contributes to persistent viral infections.

Conclusions:

  • Cellular Ca2+ signaling is a key target for viral manipulation.
  • Understanding virus-calcium interactions offers potential for novel antiviral therapies.
  • Ca2+ homeostasis is central to host defense against viral pathogens.
Keywords:
antiviral responsescalcium channelscalcium homeostasiscalcium pumpscell deathinnate immunevirus

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