International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Dr. Helder I. Nakaya

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Guest Editor

1. Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-220, Brazil
2. Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo 05652-900, Brazil
Interests: systems biology; bioinformatics; immunology; vaccinology; infectious diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The complex interplay between viral pathogens and host immune responses remains a central focus in biomedical research. Advances in molecular biology techniques, such as single-cell analysis, transcriptomics, and proteomics, have paved the way for systems immunology studies. These have greatly enhanced our understanding of host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level, uncovering the intricate mechanisms that govern both viral infection and host immunity.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, titled “Molecular Research on Viral Infection and Host Immunity”, aims to compile cutting-edge research that utilizes these high-throughput technologies for unprecedented insights into viral infections and host immunity.

We invite submissions of both original research and review articles, focusing on topics such as:

Systems Immunology in viral infections
Molecular insights into host-pathogen interactions
Transcriptomic and proteomic studies in viral disease
Mechanisms of host immune responses to viruses

Our goal is to gather the latest advancements in this critical field, thereby paving the way for future research and therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Helder I. Nakaya
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

systems immunology
viral infection
host immunity
single-cell analysis
host-pathogen interactions
transcriptomics
proteomics

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

17 pages, 2907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SARS-CoV-2 Selectively Induces the Expression of Unproductive Splicing Isoforms of Interferon, Class I MHC, and Splicing Machinery Genes

by Thomaz Lüscher Dias, Izabela Mamede, Nayara Evelin de Toledo, Lúcio Rezende Queiroz, Ícaro Castro, Rafael Polidoro, Luiz Eduardo Del-Bem, Helder Nakaya and Glória Regina Franco

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(11), 5671; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25115671 - 23 May 2024

Viewed by 961

Abstract

RNA processing is a highly conserved mechanism that serves as a pivotal regulator of gene expression. Alternative processing generates transcripts that can still be translated but lead to potentially nonfunctional proteins. A plethora of respiratory viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), strategically manipulate the host’s RNA processing machinery to circumvent antiviral responses. We integrated publicly available omics datasets to systematically analyze isoform-level expression and delineate the nascent peptide landscape of SARS-CoV-2-infected human cells. Our findings explore a suggested but uncharacterized mechanism, whereby SARS-CoV-2 infection induces the predominant expression of unproductive splicing isoforms in key IFN signaling, interferon-stimulated (ISGs), class I MHC, and splicing machinery genes, including IRF7, HLA-B, and HNRNPH1. In stark contrast, cytokine and chemokine genes, such as IL6 and TNF, predominantly express productive (protein-coding) splicing isoforms in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We postulate that SARS-CoV-2 employs an unreported tactic of exploiting the host splicing machinery to bolster viral replication and subvert the immune response by selectively upregulating unproductive splicing isoforms from antigen presentation and antiviral response genes. Our study sheds new light on the molecular interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and the host immune system, offering a foundation for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to combat COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Viral Infection and Host Immunity)

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