Viral Proteins Counteracting Host Defenses

Viruses that establish long-term or even lifelong infections have evolved sophisticated strategies to counteract a powerful host immune response. Bringing large DNA viruses like adenoviruses and herpesviruses into focus, this book documents a variety of such mechanisms, indicating a very active area of research over the last few years. The repertoire of viral mechanisms interfering with immune functions includes proteins that target antigen presentation pathways to prevent immune recognition or molecules mimicking soluble mediators ("virokines") or chemokine receptors. In view of the highly redundant immune effector mechanisms, the viral functions can teach us the relative biological significance of host defense strategies. Selected and optimized during evolution, the viral inhibitors now serve as unique tools which are perfectly designed to elucidate the molecular anatomy of the pathways that guide immune responses.