Editorial: Viral interactions with the nucleus, volume II

Viruses are infective agents involved in a plethora of pathologies, ranging from the common cold such as Rhinovirus, to lethal diseases, such as Ebola. In recent times, the world has weathered crises caused by SARS-CoV-2 that killed millions of people worldwide. The still evolving economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic has highlighted the potential medical, health and socioeconomic impacts of viral infections.

Despite the large variety of viral families, all viruses are intracellular pathogens that, upon release of their genetic material inside the host cell, hijack the cell replication machinery in their favor and can inhibit several antiviral mechanisms. The regulated transport of proteins between the nucleus and the cytoplasm through the nuclear pore complex plays a pivotal role in cell physiology. Thus, it is not surprising that many viruses impair or exploit the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking pathways to blunt antiviral responses or complete their replication in host cells.