Viral interactions with intermediate filaments: Paths less explored

Samatha Sripada, Cecilia Dayaraj

The Dengue Group, National Institute of Virology, Pune, India

Abstract: The limited repertoire of viruses led to their exploitation of cellular machinery for various events in virus replication, starting from entry till egress. The major cellular contributors in this process are the cytoskeletal components, which serve as entry points into the cells and also as tracks and highways to reach the replication sites. The role of microfilaments and microtubules, two of the major cytoskeletal elements have been extensively studied with respect to virus replication. However, very little is known about the third component, the intermediate filaments. This could in part be due to the intermediate filaments having long been thought to be rigid structures providing mechanical support to the cells. With the increasing knowledge of the dynamic property of intermediate filaments, (owing to their association with microfilaments and microtubules) their role in membrane trafficking and endocytosis, uncovered, the idea that viruses might be exploiting these cytoskeletal elements is gaining impetus. In this review, we have attempted to link viruses with the intermediate filaments, as we believe that intermediate filaments might also be important for virus replication.

Keywords: virus replication, microfilaments, microtubules