New Insight into the Structures and Host Cell Interactions of Emerging Viruses

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging viruses pose significant threats to public health, global economy, and societal stability. Understanding structural biology and the intricate interplay between these pathogens and their host cells is of paramount importance for developing effective antiviral strategies and preventive measures. This Special Issue seeks to highlight cutting-edge structural biology research that elucidates the architecture of emerging viruses and their dynamic interactions with host cellular factors.

We aim to showcase recent advances in virus structure characterization, focusing on critical molecular determinants of viral proteins responsible for cell attachment, entry, immune evasion, replication, and virion assembly. Structural insights into how viruses exploit host pathways for capsid intracellular trafficking, uncoating, viral replication complex formation, genome integration, particle assembly, maturation, and egress will be particularly emphasized. Moreover, research aimed at identifying valuable therapeutic targets based on the structural transformations viruses undergo during different stages of their lifecycle is also strongly encouraged for submission.

Beyond conventional structural methodologies, we encourage contributions that utilize innovative techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), advanced fluorescence microscopy, correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), and cutting-edge molecular dynamics simulations. Multidisciplinary approaches that integrate structural biology, virology, cell biology, immunology, and computational modeling are highly valued to foster comprehensive perspectives on virus–host interactions.

This Special Issue will include original research articles, methodological advancements, and comprehensive reviews that collectively advance the structural biology of emerging viruses. Studies focusing on emerging pathogens with epidemic or pandemic potential—their structural adaptations, novel host entry mechanisms, immune evasion strategies, or innovative antiviral targets—will receive particular attention.

Key themes for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Structural characterization of virus particles and their subunit assemblies;
• Molecular mechanisms of viral entry, host receptor engagement, and membrane fusion;
• Roles of viral structural proteins in immune modulation and evasion;
• Intracellular dynamics of virus replication, including capsid trafficking and formation of the genome replication complex;
• Structural basis of viral assembly, maturation, and egress;
• Innovative imaging methods, 3D reconstruction, and computational modeling techniques;
• Novel antiviral therapeutic targets informed by structural biology insights.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions, which help shape the current and future landscape of virology and antiviral research.

Warm regards,

Dr. Wei Zhang
Dr. Qibin Geng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• emerging viruses
• virus structure
• structural biology
• Cryo-EM/Cryo-ET/CLEM
• virus–host interactions
• viral receptor binding and entry
• viral assembly, maturation, and egress
• immune evasion
• molecular dynamics simulation
• antiviral targets