Experimental Considerations for the Evaluation of Viral Biomolecular Condensates.

Biomolecular condensates are nonmembrane-bound assemblies of biological polymers such as protein and nucleic acids. An increasingly accepted paradigm across the viral tree of life is () that viruses form biomolecular condensates and () that the formation is required for the virus. Condensates can promote viral replication by promoting packaging, genome compaction, membrane bending, and co-opting of host translation.

False Alarm: XMRV, Cancer, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus (XMRV) was first described in 2006 in some human prostate cancers. But it drew little attention until 2009, when it was also found, as infectious virus and as MLV-related DNA, in samples from people suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This discovery was rapidly followed by efforts of the international research community to understand the significance of the association and its potential to spread widely as an important human pathogen.

Diverse Antiphage Defenses Are Widespread Among Prophages and Mobile Genetic Elements.

Bacterial viruses known as phages rely on their hosts for replication and thus have developed an intimate partnership over evolutionary time. The survival of temperate phages, which can establish a chronic infection in which their genomes are maintained in a quiescent state known as a prophage, is tightly coupled with the survival of their bacterial hosts. As a result, prophages encode a diverse antiphage defense arsenal to protect themselves and the bacterial host in which they reside from further phage infection.

The Cold War and Phage Therapy: How Geopolitics Stalled Development of Viruses as Antibacterials.

The bacteriolytic character of bacteriophages was employed as antibacterial therapy almost from the time of their discovery in 1917. In the United States, phage therapy was sporadic during the 1920s and 1930s but had dwindled into obscurity by the post-WWII period. This demise of phage therapy has traditionally been attributed to the superiority of antibiotics, discovered and first used during the war years, but this explanation is complicated by the fact that phage therapy outside the United States has had a longer and more successful life, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe.

Embracing Complexity: What Novel Sequencing Methods Are Teaching Us About Herpesvirus Genomic Diversity.

The arrival of novel sequencing technologies throughout the past two decades has led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of herpesvirus genomic diversity. Previously, herpesviruses were seen as a family of DNA viruses with low genomic diversity. However, a growing body of evidence now suggests that herpesviruses exist as dynamic populations that possess standing variation and evolve at much faster rates than previously assumed.

Bacteriophage T4 as a Protein-Based, Adjuvant- and Needle-Free, Mucosal Pandemic Vaccine Design Platform.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed vaccinology. Rapid deployment of mRNA vaccines has saved countless lives. However, these platforms have inherent limitations including lack of durability of immune responses and mucosal immunity, high cost, and thermal instability.

Controlling Much? Viral Control of Host Chromatin Dynamics.

Viruses are exemplary molecular biologists and have been integral to scientific discovery for generations. It is therefore no surprise that nuclear replicating viruses have evolved to systematically take over host cell function through astoundingly specific nuclear and chromatin hijacking. In this review, we focus on nuclear replicating DNA viruses-herpesviruses and adenoviruses-as key examples of viral invasion in the nucleus.

The Emergence and Evolution of SARS-CoV-2.

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 has evoked heated debate and strong accusations, yet seemingly little resolution. I review the scientific evidence on the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and its subsequent spread through the human population. The available data clearly point to a natural zoonotic emergence within, or closely linked to, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.

The Spectrum of Postacute Sequelae of COVID-19 in Children: From MIS-C to Long COVID.

The effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on children continue to evolve following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although life-threatening multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has become rare, long-standing symptoms stemming from persistent immune activation beyond the resolution of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection contribute to major health sequelae and continue to pose an economic burden. Shared pathophysiologic mechanisms place MIS-C and long COVID within a vast spectrum of postinfectious conditions characterized by intestinal dysbiosis, increased gut permeability, and varying degrees of immune dysregulation.

Viral Membrane Fusion: A Dance Between Proteins and Lipids.

There are at least 21 families of enveloped viruses that infect mammals, and many contain members of high concern for global human health. All enveloped viruses have a dedicated fusion protein or fusion complex that enacts the critical genome-releasing membrane fusion event that is essential before viral replication within the host cell interior can begin. Because all enveloped viruses enter cells by fusion, it behooves us to know how viral fusion proteins function.