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Retasking of canonical antiviral factors into proviral effectors

Cason R King1, Andrew Mehle1

  • 1Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Current Opinion in Virology
|October 15, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Viruses can hijack cellular antiviral proteins, turning defense mechanisms into tools for replication. This highlights the complex, context-dependent nature of host-pathogen interactions and viral evasion strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Host organisms possess numerous antiviral defenses to combat viral infections.
  • Viruses must evolve strategies to evade or subvert these host defenses for replication.
  • Previous studies identified distinct sets of antiviral genes effective against specific viruses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review examples of viruses exploiting host antiviral proteins.
  • To illustrate the concept of "retasking" of antiviral factors for viral benefit.
  • To emphasize the context-dependent nature of antiviral protein function.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of viral hijacking of host antiviral proteins.
  • Analysis of case studies demonstrating proviral roles of canonical antiviral factors.
  • Synthesis of findings on the contextual activity of antiviral proteins.

Main Results:

  • Many viruses successfully subvert host antiviral machinery.
  • Canonical antiviral proteins can be repurposed by viruses to promote replication.
  • The effect of a protein on viral replication is contingent on host, cell type, and infecting virus.

Conclusions:

  • Viral strategies involve hijacking and repurposing host antiviral proteins.
  • Antiviral activity is highly contextual, varying with specific host-virus interactions.
  • Understanding these retasking mechanisms is crucial for developing effective antiviral therapies.

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