Deciphering Host–Virus Interactions and Advancing Therapeutics for Chronic Viral Infection

Viruses, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(3), P. 390 - 390

Published: March 10, 2025

Chronic viral infections like HIV, HBV, and HCV establish persistent interactions with the host immune system, resulting in evasion long-term dysfunction. These viruses use a range of strategies to limit defenses, such as downregulating MHC class I, disrupting interferon signaling, altering apoptosis pathways, suppressing cytotoxic T-cell activity. Key proteins, including HIV Nef, HBV X protein, NS5A, interfere antigen presentation JAK/STAT thereby reducing antiviral responses. induce exhaustion due exposure, which leads expression inhibitory receptors PD-1 CTLA-4 on T cells. Viral epigenetic changes, N6-methyladenosine modifications histone deacetylation, enhance by modulating gene infected Viruses further manipulate cytokine networks promoting an immunosuppressive environment through IL-10 TGF-β secretion, suppress inflammatory responses inhibit activation. This review examines molecular/cellular mechanisms that enable chronic escape immunity, focusing antigenic variation, disruption, control apoptotic pathways. It also addresses how genetic factors, HLA polymorphisms, influence disease progression. Lastly, we discuss host-targeted therapies, checkpoint inhibitors, treatments, CRISPR.

Language: Английский

Developing a Vaccine Against Human Cytomegalovirus: Identifying and Targeting HCMV’s Immunological Achilles’ Heel

Vaccines, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13(5), P. 435 - 435

Published: April 22, 2025

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a critical pathogen in immunocompromised populations, such as organ transplant recipients well congenitally infected neonates with immature immune systems. Despite decades of research and the growing financial burden associated management HCMV, there no licensed vaccine to date. In this review, we aim outline complexity HCMV antigens it presents journey challenges developing an effective vaccine, further highlight recent analyses most successful candidate so far—gB/MF59.

Language: Английский

Assessment of methods in E1E2 versus E2 immunogen studies for HCV vaccine research

Journal of Hepatology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 1, 2024

Language: Английский