Ebony Monson, Alice Trenerry, Jay Laws, Jason Mackenzie and Karla Helbig, are the winners of the 2021 best article award from FEMS Microbiology Reviews. Their winning review titled: Lipid droplets and lipid mediators in viral infection and immunity was chosen by the Editors-in-Chief and thank the authors for writing this excellent review on an important topic that deserves extra attention.
We interviewed all of the authors to find out more about the inspiration behind their award winning review:
Top left to right: Karla Helbig, Alice Trenerry, Ebony Monson, Jason Mackenzie and Jay Laws
Could you provide a brief, simple overview of the topic your paper covers?
Our review explores the role of lipid droplets and their subsequent lipid mediators during viral infections. As the role of lipids in viral infection has been dominated in the literature by reports of viral replication strategies that usurp lipid droplets and alter lipidomic profiles of host cells to enhance their viral life cycles, our review poses a paradigm shift in thinking in the field, whereby lipid droplets have very recently been shown to play pivotal roles in protecting the host against viral infection. The field of lipid droplets and their cargo is an emerging field of discovery with many unanswered questions; however, we believe that a better understanding of the roles lipid droplets play in communicating with various immune pathways may assist in informing potential advanced therapeutic approaches to combat pathogenic microorganisms.”
Lipid droplets are key organelles in multiple cellular processes; recent advances in the field have demonstrated that they together with their lipid mediators may play pivotal roles in the outcome of viral infection.
What role do Lipid Droplets (LDs) play in the viral infection of a cell?
Lipid droplets are induced within cells following a number of pathogen infections, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It begs the question as to whether this phenomenon is host or pathogen-regulated. Lipid droplets are most well described for their pro-viral roles in cells during infection whereby some viruses, particularly those in the Flaviviridae family usurp lipid droplets as a fuel source for replication, however more recently, novel pro-host roles have been described for lipid droplets within infected cells. Lipid droplets have now been described to house important antiviral proteins and be a hub for bioactive lipid mediator synthesis, both of which contribute to their immune roles in a cell. ”
What encouraged you to perform research in this area of microbiology?
We have all come to understand, as scientists, that things are always more complex than they seem. Aspects of our design that we have previously thought to be obligate, ‘junk’, or having a single function – have emerged as important regulators with distinct and unexpected functions. Our work with lipid droplets aimed to explore exactly that – are these small, transient organelles just a means of regulating lipid accumulation and metabolism – or does the story go a lot deeper? The Helbig lab has worked for many years with the antiviral protein viperin, which is a resident lipid droplet protein. Our more recent work has shown that this protein interacts with other key proteins involved in innate immune signaling at the lipid droplet surface, so we hypothesised that the lipid droplet may have a larger role to play in antiviral immune responses than was previously thought. There is also increasing interest in the role of organelle platforms that mediate innate responses e.g., Mitochondria. Thus, understanding how other organelles such as lipid droplets contribute and even co-operate to mediate a range of different biological functions is important to advance our understanding in virus-host interactions.”
What do you see as the next steps in this area of research?
This research area really is in its infancy, and there is much to learn. A better understanding of the role of lipid droplets as platforms in signaling events is crucial, as well as a better understanding of what might facilitate protein-lipid droplet interactions. We are still also trying to understand the role of various lipid species and their mediators in control of viral infection, as well as develop novel tools to study lipid movement within cells.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.