The Viral Egress

Viruses rely on living cells to multiply and they must escape from the cells to infect another cell. Viral egress is a final step of their replication cycles. Apart from lysis of the cell membrane, budding at the cell surface or intracellular membranes are very common viral egress methods. Viruses of many families hijack the host ESCRT-III system to remodel membranes at the budding site. Their budding sites and dependence on the precise ESCRT components are different depending on each virus. How these diversities arise is unclear. Interestingly, the physical characteristics and the biogenesis pathways of some viruses resemble those of extracellular vesicles produced by cells, although the relation or difference between them has not been elucidated. As viral egress is an essential step for viral replication and relies on cellular machinery, the identification of host factors responsible for this step may also lead to the discovery of novel targets for broad-spectrum host-targeted antiviral therapeutic strategies.

This Research Topic aims to know how viruses hijack cellular machinery such as extracellular vesicles release to aid in the viral replication cycle. Transcriptomic and proteomic techniques coupled with bioinformatics analysis have allowed for the identification of broad-spectrum host-viral interactions. Characterizing host factors that promote viral egress can give a better understanding of the basic biology of viruses. Electron microscopy techniques allow us to know details of the site of viral egress in infected cells. The goal of this topic is to gather information on the role of host factors responsible for the egress of any viruses, structural analysis of viral egress, and new technology to investigate or manipulate viral egress.

In this research topic, we welcome original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and brief research reports presenting novel findings and or advances in the following themes:

• Identification and characterization of host factors responsible for viral egress.

• Determination of the precise ESCRT-III proteins required for individual virus egress.

• Comparative analysis of egress of many viruses and/or extracellular vesicles.

• Structural analysis of virion components.

• Study on antiviral restriction factors that impair viral egress.

• Understanding the role of lipid during envelopment and/or viral release.

• New technology to investigate or manipulate viral egress.

• Therapeutic analysis that targets viral egress.

Keywords: enveloped virus, envelopment, egress, scission, membrane deformation

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.