Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals
Open Access
ISSN: 1948-5964
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 1948-5964
+44 1300 500008
Chengyu Liang
University of Southern California, USA
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Antivir Antiretrovir
Autophagy constitutes a major catabolic hub for the quality control of intracellular entities of eukaryotic cells, and is emerging as an essential part of the host antiviral defense mechanism. However, in turn, viruses have evolved elegant strategies to co-opt various stages of the cellular autophagy pathway to establish virulence in vivo. This is particularly the case in the ubiquitous and persistent herpes virus infection. I will discuss recent findings regarding the crosstalk between the gamma-herpes virus family and the autophagy pathway. We have identified the key role of the anti-autophagic aspect of the virally encoded Bcl-2s in the chronic infection of oncogenic �?³-herpes viruses and propose that cellular autophagy may have a substantial effect on viral persistence and may influence the in vivo fitness of viruses. Furthermore, some autophagy factors can also be hitchhiked by viruses for their efficient penetration into host cells. These discoveries expand upon known antiviral activities of the autophagy machinery and also suggest new approaches for treating some virally induced diseases.
Email: Chengyu.Liang@med.usc.edu