Roles of Macrophages in Viral Infections

Dear Colleagues,

As one of the major components of the immune system, macrophages can activate both innate and adaptive immune responses, as they are professional antigen-presenting cells and serve as the first line of defense against invading pathogens, including viruses. The importance of macrophages in the control and pathogenesis of viral infections has been highlighted by their dual roles in viral infections, where, on the one hand, they participate in host antiviral immunity for the detection and control of virus infection, and, on the other hand, they can carry and spread the viruses or become a target for some of them, such as human immunodeficiency virus, human cytomegalovirus, and H5N1 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Evidently, the complicated roles of macrophages in the antiviral immunity and pathogenesis of viral infections require more studies to understand how macrophages interfere with viral infection/replication and regulate the inflammatory cytokines, which are crucial for identifying novel cellular targets in order to develop antivirals therapy. In this Special Issue, we will focus on the roles played by macrophages of different tissues and organs (microglia, Kupffer cells, and Langherans cells) in viral infections. We welcome original research papers, communications, as well as review articles that report research work on macrophages and viral infections. 

Prof. Dr. Wenzhe Ho
Prof. Dr. Stefano Aquaro
Guest Editors

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