Molecular signatures in cetacean morbillivirus and host species proteome: unveiling the evolutionary dynamics of an enigmatic pathogen?

Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infects marine mammals causing an often fatal respiratory and neurological disease. Recently, CeMV has expanded its geographic and host species range, with cases being reported worldwide among dolphins, whales, seals and other aquatic mammalian species, and therefore emerged as the most threatening non-anthropogenic factor affecting marine mammal's health and conservation. Extensive research efforts aimed to understand CeMV epidemiology and ecology, however the molecular mechanisms underlying its transmission and pathogenesis are still poorly understood. In particular, the field suffers from a knowledge gap on the structural and functional properties of CeMV proteins and their host interactors. Nevertheless, the body of scientific literature produced in recent years has inaugurated new investigational trends, driving future directions in CeMV molecular research. In this mini-review, the most recent literature has been summarized in the context of such research trends, and categorized into four priority research topics, such as i) the interaction between CeMV glycoprotein and its host cell receptors across several species; ii) the CeMV molecular determinants responsible for different disease phenotype; iii) the host molecular determinants responsible for differential susceptibility to CeMV infection; iv) the CeMV molecular determinants responsible for difference virulence among circulating CeMV strains. Arguably, these are the most urgent topics that need to be investigated and that most promisingly will help to shed light on the details of CeMV evolutionary dynamics in the immediate future.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

留言 (0)

沒有登入
gif