Interaction Between Influenza Virus and Host Cell

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1879

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: influenza virus; interaction between various strains of viruses and cellular models; cellular factors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) infect various avian and mammalian hosts, leading to seasonal epidemics and periodic pandemics marked by high morbidity and mortality. Notably, highly pathogenic avian IAVs can infect humans, resulting in extremely high mortality rates and posing a potential pandemic risk.

Viruses rely on cellular machinery for efficient replication. While both host and viral factors influence the outcome of infection, there is still a lack of thorough analysis regarding the host factors involved in IAV infection. Remarkably, targeting cellular components, instead of viral elements, may be more effective in exploring novel therapeutic interventions that broadly address influenza viruses, given their high genetic variability.

This Special Issue welcomes various contributions, including reviews, research articles, and short communications focusing on the latest advances in understanding the cellular mechanisms and functions co-opted by influenza viruses during their life cycle.

Prof. Dr. Flora De Conto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • influenza virus
  • virus-–host interaction
  • restriction factor
  • host species barrier
  • pandemic
  • pathogenicity
  • zoonosis
  • cell culture

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

19 pages, 1652 KB  
Review
Metabolic Hostile Takeover: How Influenza Virus Reprograms Cellular Metabolism for Replication
by Xianfeng Hui, Xiaowei Tian, Shihuan Ding, Ge Gao, Xin Zhao, Jiyan Cui, Yiru Hou, Tiesuo Zhao and Hui Wang
Viruses 2025, 17(10), 1386; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17101386 - 17 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1490
Abstract
Influenza viruses are adept at hijacking host cellular machinery to facilitate their replication and propagation. A critical aspect of this hijacking involves the reprogramming of host cell metabolism. This review summarizes current findings on how influenza virus infection alters major metabolic pathways, including [...] Read more.
Influenza viruses are adept at hijacking host cellular machinery to facilitate their replication and propagation. A critical aspect of this hijacking involves the reprogramming of host cell metabolism. This review summarizes current findings on how influenza virus infection alters major metabolic pathways, including enhanced glycolysis, suppression of oxidative phosphorylation, diversion of TCA cycle intermediates for biosynthesis, and upregulation of lipid and amino acid metabolism. Key nutrients like glucose, glutamine, and serine are redirected to support viral RNA synthesis, protein production, and membrane formation. Moreover, these metabolic changes also modulate host immune responses, potentially aiding in immune evasion. We highlight the role of transcription factors such as SREBPs in lipid synthesis and the impact of one-carbon metabolism on epigenetic regulation. Finally, we discuss how targeting virus-induced metabolic shifts, using agents like 2-deoxyglucose or fatty acid synthesis inhibitors, offers promising avenues for antiviral intervention, while emphasizing the need for selective approaches to minimize harm to normal cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interaction Between Influenza Virus and Host Cell)
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