Antiviral Innate Immunity
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2011) | Viewed by 58888
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The innate immune response to viruses begins with the detection of viruses by the host, followed by the induction of cellular and molecular effectors with broad antiviral activity. Classically, effectors of the innate response include natural killer cells and the “antiviral state” induced by type I interferons. More recently, a number of intrinsic antiviral host proteins have been identified, including the so-called “restriction factors” that inhibit the replication of members of the retrovirus and other virus families. These factors have in some cases been linked to the innate response, specifically via their induction by interferon. Active issues in the field of antiviral innate immunity include the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which viruses are detected, the identification of new effectors of innate immunity including antiviral proteins and microRNAs, and the mechanisms by which viruses evade and antagonize the innate response. New functional screens and molecular genetic approaches are being used to explore these issues. These approaches seem likely to reveal novel aspects of the host-pathogen relationship and to dissect how these have affected the evolution of the host and viral genomes. We hope in this issue to capture the scope and flavor of these exciting developments.
Prof. Dr. John Guatelli
Guest Editor