Molecular and Cellular Biology of Human Oncogenic Viruses

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2073

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Interests: herpesviruses; EBV; KSHV; virus replication; autophagy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The number of oncovirus-associated cancers has been increasing in recent years; it has been estimated that approximately 10% of neoplastic diseases in the world correlate with viral infections. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms through which oncoviruses regulate viral and host gene expression may help in identifying potential therapeutic targets. There are currently seven recognized viruses associated with human cancer, namely EBV, KSHV, HPV, HTLV-1, HBV, HCV, and MCV. They are able to infect different cell types and can adopt similar and specific strategies to trigger the transformation of their target cells.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying viral oncogenesis in the attempt to identify new drugs, enabling the manipulation of the viral lytic cycle, which, in some cases, can be latent or lytic, or target the epigenetic changes and the activation of pro-oncogenic molecular pathways that oncoviruses may induce. The study of mechanisms leading to the establishment of viral infections may also provide useful information on cancer prevention, including the development of vaccines against oncoviruses.

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Roberta Gonnella
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. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • oncoviruses
  • antiviral drugs
  • viral oncogenesis
  • viral infection
  • oncogenic pathways
  • epigenetics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

31 pages, 18502 KiB  
Article
Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Huh7 Cells Transfected with Sub-Saharan African Hepatitis B Virus (Sub)genotypes Reveals Potential Oncogenic Factors
by Kiyasha Padarath, Aurélie Deroubaix, Previn Naicker, Stoyan Stoychev and Anna Kramvis
Viruses 2024, 16(7), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071052 - 29 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 929
Abstract
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the (sub)genotypes A1, D3, and E of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevail. Individuals infected with subgenotype A1 have a 4.5-fold increased risk of HCC compared to those infected with other (sub)genotypes. The effect of (sub)genotypes on protein expression [...] Read more.
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the (sub)genotypes A1, D3, and E of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevail. Individuals infected with subgenotype A1 have a 4.5-fold increased risk of HCC compared to those infected with other (sub)genotypes. The effect of (sub)genotypes on protein expression and host signalling has not been studied. Mass spectrometry was used to analyse the proteome of Huh7 cells transfected with replication-competent clones. Proteomic analysis revealed significantly differentially expressed proteins between SSA (sub)genotypes. Different (sub)genotypes have the propensity to dysregulate specific host signalling pathways. Subgenotype A1 resulted in dysregulation within the Ras pathway. Ras-associated protein, RhoC, was significantly upregulated in cells transfected with subgenotype A1 compared to those transfected with other (sub)genotypes, on both a proteomic (>1.5-fold) and mRNA level (p < 0.05). Two of the main cellular signalling pathways involving RHOC, MAPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, regulate cell growth, motility, and survival. Downstream signalling products of these pathways have been shown to increase MMP2 and MMP9 expression. An extracellular MMP2 and MMP9 ELISA revealed a non-significant increase in MMP2 and MMP9 in the cells transfected with A1 compared to the other (sub)genotypes (p < 0.05). The upregulated Ras-associated proteins have been implicated as oncoproteins in various cancers and could contribute to the increased hepatocarcinogenic potential of A1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cellular Biology of Human Oncogenic Viruses)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 1556 KiB  
Review
Oncoviral Infections and Small Extracellular Vesicles
by Łukasz Ważny, Theresa L. Whiteside and Monika Pietrowska
Viruses 2024, 16(8), 1291; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16081291 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 860
Abstract
Small extracellular vesicles (sEV) are small membrane-bound nanovesicles with a size range below 200 nm that are released by all types of cells. sEV carry a diverse cargo of proteins, lipids, glycans, and nucleic acids that mimic the content of producer cells. sEV [...] Read more.
Small extracellular vesicles (sEV) are small membrane-bound nanovesicles with a size range below 200 nm that are released by all types of cells. sEV carry a diverse cargo of proteins, lipids, glycans, and nucleic acids that mimic the content of producer cells. sEV mediate intercellular communication and play a key role in a broad variety of physiological and pathological conditions. Recently, numerous reports have emerged examining the role of sEV in viral infections. A significant number of similarities in the sEV biogenesis pathways and the replication cycles of viruses suggest that sEV might influence the course of viral infections in diverse ways. Besides directly modulating virus propagation by transporting the viral cargo (complete virions, proteins, RNA, and DNA), sEV can also modify the host antiviral response and increase the susceptibility of cells to infection. The network of mutual interactions is particularly complex in the case of oncogenic viruses, deserving special consideration because of its significance in cancer progression. This review summarizes the current knowledge of interactions between sEV and oncogenic viruses, focusing on sEV abilities to modulate the carcinogenic properties of oncoviruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cellular Biology of Human Oncogenic Viruses)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop