Viruses and Lipids 英文参考文献.docVIP

Viruses 2010, 2, 1236-1238; doi:10.3390/v2051236 OPEN ACCESS viruses ISSN 1999-4915 /journal/viruses Editorial Viruses and Lipids Akira Ono Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, 5736 Medical Science Building II, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0620, USA; E-Mail: akiraono@; Tel.: +1-734-615-4407; Fax: +1-734-764-3562 Received: 17 May 2010 / Accepted: 18 May 2010 / Published: 20 May 2010 As obligatory intracellular pathogens, viruses exploit various cellular molecules and structures, such as cellular membranes, for their propagation. Enveloped viruses acquire lipid membranes as their outer coat through interactions with cellular membranes during morphogenesis within, and egress from, infected cells. In contrast, non-enveloped viruses typically exit cells by cell lysis, and lipid membranes are not part of the released virions. However, non-enveloped viruses also interact with lipid membranes at least during entry into target cells. Therefore, lipids, as part of cellular membranes, inevitably play some roles in life cycle of viruses. Studies of lipids in the virus life cycle, first as components of enveloped viruses, trace back to several decades ago. Since then, however, our understanding of the roles of lipids in cellular functions has evolved dramatically; lipids are no longer thought to be just plain building blocks of membrane bilayers. Some lipids promote molecule compartmentalization through active participation in formation of microdomains/vehicles, whereas others bind specific proteins thereby serving as signaling molecules. With the emergence and establishment of concepts such as lipid rafts and headgroup- specific lipid-protein interactions [1,2], our understanding of relationships between viruses and lipids has also evolved substantially in the recent years. This special issue of Viruses, “Role of Lip