Interaction between Virus and Host Innate Immune Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The complex interplay between pathogens and host immune response is considered a highly dynamic process. When confronted with viral infection, the innate immune system provides the first line of host defense against pathogens by triggering host inflammatory and antiviral cytokine responses. Sensing viral nucleic acids and activating downstream signaling pathways are highly orchestrated to induce interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), ultimately setting an antiviral stage. In addition, autophagy/mitophagy is an essential process that can initiate an innate immune response via crosstalk with innate immune receptors to modulate the expression of antiviral IFNs, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis and clearing pathogens. Consequently, viruses have evolved mechanisms to evade host defenses at various stages of the innate immune response.

In this Special Issue, we aim to assemble a collection of research papers and reviews that highlight critical advancements in our understanding of the interactions between viruses and host innate immune system. Of particular interest are the innate immune responses to RNA or DNA virus infection, evasions strategies employed by viruses, characterizing the function of autophagy/mitophagy for modulating antiviral innate immunity, and innate immune pathways modulated by viral proteins. This knowledge will allow us to uncover novel viral evasion strategies and to identify novel viral and host factors in modulation of viral replication and disease outcome. We look forward to your submissions.

Prof. Dr. Moon Jung Song
Dr. Ok Sarah Shin
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 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. Viruses 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 2600 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.