Viral interactions with the cytoskeleton: a hitchhiker's guide to the cell

Abstract

SummaryThe actin and microtubule cytoskeleton play important roles in the life cycle of every virus. During attachment, internalization, endocytosis, nuclear targeting, transcription, replication, transport of progeny subviral particles, assembly, exocytosis, or cellto-cell spread, viruses make use of different cellular cues and signals to enlist the cytoskeleton for their mission. Viruses induce rearrangements of cytoskeletal filaments so that they can utilize them as tracks or shove them aside when they represent barriers. Viral particles recruit molecular motors in order to hitchhike rides to different subcellular sites which provide the proper molecular environment for uncoating, replicating and packaging viral genomes. Interactions between subviral components and cytoskeletal tracks also help to orchestrate virus assembly, release and efficient cell-to-cell spread. There is probably not a single virus that does not use cytoskeletal and motor functions in its life cycle. Being well informed intracellular passengers, viruses provide us with unique tools to decipher how a particular cargo recruits one or several motors, how these are activated or tuned down depending on transport needs, and how cargoes switch from actin tracks to microtubules to nuclear pores and back.

Characterization of two grouper Epinephelus akaara cell lines: Application to studies of Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) propagation and virus–host interaction

“…The cytoskeleton components, actin and microtubule, play important roles in the life cycle of the virus, including attachment, internalization, replication, transportation, or cell to cell spread (Radtke et al, 2006). SGIV infection in EAGS and GP cells led to the altered microtubules, including rearrangement into a ring-like structure around the nucleus, and aggregations around the virus assembly site in the vicinity of nucleus, suggesting that the microtubule may play an important role during SGIV pathogenesis.…”

Virus trafficking – learning from single-virus tracking

“…Instead, molecular motors shuttle on cytoskeletal tracks to actively transport cargo. Kinesin and dynein motors move on microtubule tracks, whereas myosin motors interact with actin filaments 40,41 . The polymerization of actin can also propel a cargo particle in and out of the cell 40 .…”

Transport and egress of herpes simplex virus in neurons

“…In non-polarised cells, MTs radiate from the MTOC, located usually near the nucleus, with their minus-ends attached to the MTOC and the plus-ends extending to the periphery of the cell (Figure 1). Kinesin is presumably important for the transport of enveloped virus from the Golgi to the cell surface given that the polarity of the MTs requires a plus-end directed motor [7,17]. In the case of polarised non-neuronal cells, MTs are arranged in an apical-basal direction with their minus-ends pointing towards the apical surface and the plus-ends pointing towards the basal surface.…”

“…Periodic reactivation results in HSV-1 being transported in an anterograde (forward step) direction from the cell body to nerve axon terminals, where it causes either recurrent clinical disease, or asymptomatic viral shedding at the skin or mucous membranes of the same dermatome involved in the initial infection [2]. Because of the very long distances in neuronal axons, up to 1 m, that need to be traversed by HSV-1 (virion nuclear capsid diameter 100 nm), its transport must be an active process, and is thought to utilise cellular molecular motors, such as dynein and kinesin [3][4][5][6][7].…”