Advances in DNA Damage Responses in Viral Infection

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 121

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Interests: DNA damage response; DNA repair; cell cycle regulation; mutation p53 proteins; protein kinases; cell biology; peptides; viruses, adenovirus; Karposi’s sarcoma associated herpes virus (KSHV)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over 50 years ago, it was demonstrated that certain DNA viruses, such as Adenovirus type 12 and Herpes Simplex Virus, could cause specific, non-random damage to cellular DNA following infection. As the cellular DNA damage response has become well-characterised in the twenty-first century, it is apparent that almost all, or perhaps all, DNA viruses have a close relationship with many of the components of the pathways involved in the detection and repair of DNA damage.

Initial studies of adenoviruses showed that homologous recombination was inactivated by the degradation of key proteins following infection, but subsequent investigations by numerous laboratories indicated that most DNA viruses require various components of the DNA damage response pathways for optimal replication. Many different DNA damage response proteins are present at the sites of viral replication, although their specific function there remains largely unknown. It seems reasonable to suppose that they are necessary to produce viral genomes, but much further research is required to elucidate precisely how this may occur, including the viral and cellular proteins involved. Similarly, the detailed role of the DNA damage response in the cellular anti-viral response remains to be further elucidated. Finally, numerous RNA viruses, even though many replicate solely in the cytoplasm, have a close relationship with the DNA damage response, again requiring repair pathways for replication.

This Special Issue aims to bring together a collection of original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address these exciting frontiers.

Dr. Roger J. Grand
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.

Keywords

  • DNA damage response
  • DNA viruses
  • RNA viruses
  • viral replication
  • DNA repair pathways

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop