Virus-host interactome: Putting the accent on how it changes

Abstract

Viral infections are extremely complex processes that could only be well understood by precisely characterizing the interaction networks between the virus and the host components. In recent years, much effort has gone in this direction with the aim of unveiling the molecular basis of viral pathology. These networks are mostly formed by viral and host proteins, and are expected to be dynamic both with time and space (i.e., with the progression of infection, as well as with the virus and host genotypes; what we call plastodynamic). This largely overlooked spatio-temporal evolution urgently calls for a change both in the conceptual paradigms and experimental techniques used so far to characterize virus-host interactions. More generally, molecular plasticity and temporal dynamics are unavoidable components of the mechanisms that underlie any complex disease; components whose understanding will eventually enhance our ability to modulate those networks with the aim of improving disease treatments.

Keywords: Evolution; Protein network; Systems biology; Virology.