REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1642520
Identification, Functional Analysis, and Clinical Applications of Defective Viral Genomes Running head: Defective viral genomes: identification, function and application
Provisionally accepted
- Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Defective viral genomes (DVGs) are fragments derived from defective interfering particles (DIPs) that form during viral replication. They play important roles by interfering with complete virus replication and regulating host immune responses. Advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and bioinformatic technology have significantly improved the ability to identify DIPs and DVGs. Their heterogeneity and dynamic formation mechanisms have been analyzed using long-read sequencing technologies. Both DIPs and DVGs inhibit wild-type viral proliferation by competing for viral replication resources and activating innate immune pathways such as those of retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 and mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein. This might influence infection outcomes by regulating inflammatory cytokine storms. The clinical application of DIPs and DVGs in their natural attenuated virus forms has been investigated in terms of novel vaccine design and antiviral therapy. This report systematically reviews cutting-edge detection techniques, molecular mechanisms, and translational medicine advances of DIPs and DVGs and provides a theoretical basis for developing broad-spectrum antiviral strategies based on DIPs.
Keywords: interfering particle, defective viral genome, IDENTIFICATION, function, application
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Yan, Pan, Li, Li, Yu, Shen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wei Zhao, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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