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Review
. 2021 Nov 5:12:777885.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.777885. eCollection 2021.

Influenza A Virus-Host Specificity: An Ongoing Cross-Talk Between Viral and Host Factors

Miaomiao Zhang  1   2 , Mingbin Liu  1 , Shimeng Bai  1 , Chen Zhao  1 , Zejun Li  2 , Jianqing Xu  1 , Xiaoyan Zhang  1
Affiliations
Review

Influenza A Virus-Host Specificity: An Ongoing Cross-Talk Between Viral and Host Factors

Miaomiao Zhang et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

One big threat from influenza A viruses (IAVs) is that novel viruses emerge from mutation alongside reassortment. Some of them have gained the capability to transmit into human from the avian reservoir. Understanding the molecular events and the involved factors in breaking the cross-species barrier holds important implication for the surveillance and prevention of potential influenza outbreaks. In this review, we summarize recent progresses, including several ground-breaking findings, in how the interaction between host and viral factors, exemplified by the PB2 subunit of the influenza virus RNA polymerase co-opting host ANP32 protein to facilitate transcription and replication of the viral genome, shapes the evolution of IAVs from host specificity to cross-species infection.

Keywords: PB2; host factors; host specificity; influenza A virus; pathogenesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of chicken (A) and human ANP32A (B). The avian-specific 33-amino acid insertion is highlighted in red with the containing SUMO binding motif being indicated by an arrow.
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