Abstract

Future Directions of EVs and Viruses

Fatah Kashanchi, Professor, George Mason University

EVs naturally are bioactive containers for delivering various bioactive molecules between cells. A growing body of evidence indicates that such EVs are released from virus-infected cells and transfer viral components between cells including DNA, RNA and proteins, as well as viral receptors mediating entry into recipient cells. The released EVs constitute a range of markers that can serve as biomarker for viral infection both in vitro and in vivo.  These cells release EVs with distinct cargos, which differs from healthy cells and viral infection alters EV loading and biogenesis in donor cells.  The main mechanism of viral cargo release through EVs is alteration in the autophagic pathways, including microautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, macroautophagy, and secretory autophagy.  Specially, secretory autophagy has been shown to be responsible for the secretion of these EVs containing parts of the virus or  EVs that contain fully infectious virions.  Multiple RNA and DNA virally infected cells including HIV-1; CHIKV; HBV; EBV; SV40; PV; IAV; DENV; ZIKV; HTLV-1; HSV-1; KSHV; and MHV-68 utilize alteration of autophagy for their cargo release.  Examples of some of the RNA and DNA viruses that utilize degradative or secretory autophagy in relations to homeostasis or disease will be discussed.