Tracking Mechanisms of Viral Dissemination In Vivo

• Published in: Trends in cell biology Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 17 - 23
• Main Authors: Gaudin, Raphael, Goetz, Jacky G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2021; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal models; Cell Behavior; Cellular Biology; intravital imaging; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mimicry; Opinion; Organoids; Virology; virus; Viruses; Zebrafish; animal models; zebrafish; virus; intravital imaging
• ISSN: 0962-8924; 1879-3088
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2020.09.005

Dissemination and replication of viruses into hosts is a multistep process where viral particles infect, navigate, and indoctrinate various cell types. Viruses can reach tissues that are distant from their infection site by subverting subcellular mechanisms in ways that are, sometimes, disruptive. Modeling these steps, at appropriate resolution and within animal models, is cumbersome. Yet, mimicking these strategies in vitro fails to recapitulate the complexity of the cellular ecosystem. Here, we will discuss relevant in vivo platforms to dissect the cellular and molecular programs governing viral dissemination and briefly discuss organoid and ex vivo alternatives. We will focus on the zebrafish model and will describe how it provides a transparent window to unravel new cellular mechanisms of viral dissemination in vivo.
The zebrafish model allows in vivo investigations of virus-induced molecular processes at subcellular resolution.Viruses have evolved multiple strategies for disseminating over long distance, including by indoctrinating host cell types with high migration potential.Organoids derived from stem cells emerge as powerful alternatives to unravel new molecular mechanisms of viral dissemination.