Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Viruses. 2022 Feb 21;14(2):438. doi: 10.3390/v14020438.
Viral aggregation is a complex and pervasive phenomenon affecting many viral families. An increasing number of studies have indicated that it can modulate critical parameters surrounding viral infections, and yet its role in viral infectivity, pathogenesis, and evolution is just beginning to be appreciated. Aggregation likely promotes viral infection by increasing the cellular multiplicity of infection (MOI), which can help overcome stochastic failures of viral infection and genetic defects and subsequently modulate their fitness, virulence, and host responses. Conversely, aggregation can limit the dispersal of viral particles and hinder the early stages of establishing a successful infection. The cost-benefit of viral aggregation seems to vary not only depending on the viral species and aggregating factors but also on the spatiotemporal context of the viral life cycle. Here, we review the of viral aggregation by focusing on studies with direct observations of viral aggregation and mechanistic studies of the aggregation process. Next, we chart the and discuss the biological implications of viral aggregation in their infection cycle. We conclude with a perspective on harnessing the therapeutic potential of this phenomenon and highlight several challenging questions that warrant further research for this field to advance.
病毒聚集是一种复杂且普遍存在的现象，影响着许多病毒家族。越来越多的研究表明，它可以调节与病毒感染相关的关键参数，但它在病毒感染力、发病机制和进化中的作用才刚刚开始被认识。聚集可能通过增加细胞感染复数（MOI）来促进病毒感染，这有助于克服病毒感染和遗传缺陷的随机失败，并随后调节它们的适应性、毒力和宿主反应。相反，聚集会限制病毒颗粒的扩散，并阻碍建立成功感染的早期阶段。病毒聚集的成本效益似乎不仅取决于病毒种类和聚集因子，还取决于病毒生命周期的时空背景。在这里，我们通过关注具有病毒聚集直接观察和聚集过程机制研究的研究来综述病毒聚集的作用。接下来，我们绘制了病毒聚集的时空图，并讨论了它在感染周期中的生物学意义。最后，我们从利用这一现象的治疗潜力的角度出发，并强调了该领域需要进一步研究以推进的几个具有挑战性的问题。
