Gammaherpesvirus Infection and Host Immune Response

Dear Colleagues,

Gammaherpesviruses, a major subfamily of the herpesviruses, establish lifelong infection in their hosts. They include the human oncogenic viruses Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), as well as a broad range of animal gammaherpesviruses, including viruses of veterinary or economic significance and systems valuable for comparative and mechanistic studies. The outcome of infection is shaped by continuous interactions between viral entry, replication, latency–reactivation programs, and host immune surveillance. When dysregulated, these interactions can drive immunopathology, lymphoproliferative disease, and malignancy. Recent advances in structural biology, immunology, single-cell technologies, animal infection models, and antibody and vaccine research are opening new avenues to define gammaherpesvirus–host interactions and mechanisms of protective immunity. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress in gammaherpesvirus infection, host immune responses, and virus-associated disease mechanisms. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives covering viral entry mechanisms, latency and reactivation, host immune control and viral immune evasion, virus-associated immunopathogenesis and oncogenesis, animal gammaherpesvirus infections and experimental models, as well as the development of vaccines, neutralizing antibodies, antiviral agents, and immunotherapeutic strategies. 

Dr. Cong Sun
Dr. Chu Xie
Guest Editors

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