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Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Ex Vivo Infection of Murine Epidermis with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
Published on: August 24, 2015
Cholesterol: A friend to viruses
1Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Cholesterol is a key life-sustaining molecule which regulates membrane fluidity and serves as a signaling mediator. Cholesterol homeostasis is closely related to various pathological conditions including tumor, obesity, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and viral infection. Viral infection disrupts host cholesterol homeostasis, facilitating their own survival. Meanwhile, the host cells strive to reduce cholesterol accessibility to limit viral infection. This review focuses on the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and the role of cholesterol in viral infection, specifically providing an overview of cholesterol as a friend to promote viral entry, replication, assembly, release and immune evasion, which might inspire valuable thinking for pathogenesis and intervention of viral infection.
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