Intractable Rare Dis Res. 2016;5(2):90-96. (DOI: 10.5582/irdr.2016.01008)

Role of metabolism during viral infections, and crosstalk with the innate immune system.

Gonzalez-Plaza JJ, Hulak N, Kausova G, Zhumadilov Z, Akilzhanova A

Viruses have been for long polemic biological particles which stand in the twilight of being living entities or not. As their genome is reduced, they rely on the metabolic machinery of their host in order to replicate and be able to continue with their infection process. The understanding of their metabolic requirements is thus of paramount importance in order to develop tailored drugs to control their population, without affecting the normal functioning of their host. New advancements in high throughput technologies, especially metabolomics are allowing researchers to uncover the metabolic mechanisms of viral replication. In this short review, we present the latest discoveries that have been made in the field and an overview of the intrinsic relationship between metabolism and innate immunity as an important part of the immune system.

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