The Virome in Host Health and Disease

Abstract

The mammalian virome includes diverse commensal and pathogenic viruses that evoke a broad range of immune responses from the host. Sustained viral immunomodulation is implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases, but also confers unexpected benefits to the host. These outcomes of viral infections are often dependent on host genotype. Moreover, it is becoming clear that the virome is part of a dynamic network of microorganisms that inhabit the body. Therefore, viruses can be viewed as a component of the microbiome, and interactions with commensal bacteria and other microbial agents influence their behavior. In this article, our current understanding of how the virome, together with other components of the microbiome, affects the function of the host immune system to regulate health and disease is reviewed.

Mutualistic viruses and the heteronomy of life

“…Though viruses have commonly been conceived as harmful, recent research has shown that many of them are neutral (not affecting host fitness) or even mutualistic (increasing host fitness) (Bao & Roossinck, 2013;Cadwell, 2015aCadwell, , 2015bDennehy, 2014;Foxman & Iwasaki, 2011;MacDuff et al, 2015;Roossinck, 2008Roossinck, , 2011Roossinck, , 2015Ryan, 2009;Shen, 2009;Stoltz & Whitfield, 2009;Virgin, 2014a). Here I focus on the case of mutualistic viruses.…”

“…An increasing number of biologists have started to study the "virobiota" (all the viruses that live in or on a host) and the "virome" (the set of all the genes of the virobiota), as a potentially crucial part of the "microbiota" and "microbiome" 4 , respectively ((Reyes et al, 2010); (Moon & Stappenbeck, 2012); (Duerkop & Hooper, 2013); (Virgin, 2014b); (Cadwell, 2015b)). The human virobiota is made of both bacteriophages (i.e., viruses of bacteria) 5 , and eukaryotic viruses (Virgin, 2014b).…”

“…The human virobiota is made of both bacteriophages (i.e., viruses of bacteria) 5 , and eukaryotic viruses (Virgin, 2014b). The study of the gut virobiota in health and disease seems to be particularly promising ( (Reyes et al, 2010); (Reyes, Semenkovich, Whiteson, Rohwer, & Gordon, 2012); (Moon & Stappenbeck, 2012); (Norman et al, 2015); (Cadwell, 2015a)), and many authors are convinced that numerous mutualistic viruses will be discovered in the near future, in particular in humans and other mammals ( (Lecuit & Eloit, 2013); (Kernbauer et al, 2014); (Cadwell, 2015b)). It is even possible that some beneficial effects on host 3 For a philosophical analysis of symbiont-induced development, see (Pradeu, 2011(Pradeu, , 2012 4 The "microbiota" refers to all the microbes that live in or on a host, and the "microbiome" to the set of all the genes of the microbiota.…”

“…And yet the present claim is clearly different from older ones. While the idea of mutualistic viruses in the past was highly speculative and based on a very limited number of examples, current research offers copious data about a wide diversity of examples across many species, as well as key molecular details about how the virus and host interact (Virgin et al, 2009;Roossinck, 2011Roossinck, , 2015Cadwell, 2015b). For most scientists, there is a significant difference between a speculative idea and its empirical demonstration, and it is precisely this gap that recent data have filled in.…”

Microbiota, Immune System and Colorectal Cancer

“…В его состав входят возбудители разных типов инфекций и вирусы, способные интег-рироваться в геном человека (например, эндогенные ретровирусы) или прокариот. Новые методы секвени-рования дают основание полагать о существовании множества ранее неизвестных вирусов эукариот [10].…”