Viral Non-Structural Proteins

Dear Colleagues,

The viral genome is typically categorized into structural and non-structural proteins. Structural proteins form the core components of the viral particle, or virion, and play key roles in the early stages of infection, such as viral entry. In contrast, non-structural proteins are internal viral components that are primarily involved in the replication cycle. These proteins often include proteases, polymerases, transcription factors, or molecules that inhibit innate immunity signaling pathways, ultimately enabling the virus to bypass host defense mechanisms and redirect cellular metabolism toward synthesizing viral components, including genomic material and both structural and non-structural proteins, to produce the viral progeny.

Non-structural proteins are generally synthesized within the host cell and remain less exposed to the immune system, meaning that they are predominantly presented to T cells rather than eliciting both B and T cell responses like structural proteins. Due to their critical roles in the viral life cycle, non-structural proteins often feature highly conserved enzymatic domains, which are less subject to immune pressure compared to structural proteins. This conservation makes non-structural proteins attractive targets for vaccine and therapeutic development.

Dr. Giuseppe Sautto
Guest Editor

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