Host DNA Damage Responses in Virus Propagation and Human Disease
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Viruses are genetically diverse pathogens that cause some of the most prevalent and lethal human diseases. Viruses are known to introduce DNA damage and genetic instability in host cells. Some of the host DNA damage response (DDR) pathway components can also be hijacked to further the infectious life cycle of the viruses or drive host diseases. While a broad recognition of the DDR components in viral infectious biology is known, key mechanisms that can guide an understanding of viral life cycle and possible strategies for therapeutic targeting are largely unknown. Additionally, the activation and manipulation of the DDR pathway by DNA viruses have been extensively studied. RNA viruses are also known to induce significant DNA damage, even in cases where viral replication occurs exclusively in the cytoplasm. DNA damage from viruses triggers apoptosis, the stimulation of inflammatory immune responses, and mutational burden, increasing the risk of disease onset or tumorigenesis. Understanding the interactions between DNA and RNA viruses with the DDR pathways, including DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis, will provide essential insights into these pathogens' modulation of host cell functions, disease etiology, and therapeutic vulnerabilities. This Special Issue summarizes the current literature regarding the activation and manipulation of the DDR by disease-specific DNA and RNA viruses.
Dr. Nimrat Chatterjee
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- DNA repair
- DNA viruses
- RNA viruses
- translesion synthesis
- cancer
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