Is Virology Dead?

DiMaio, Daniel

To the cognoscenti, the real attraction of viruses was not only these methodological advantages but also the intimate relationship of viruses with their host cells. Because viruses depend on cellular machinery to replicate, they need to manipulate crucial regulatory nodes of cells to reprogram them into virus-producing factories (or into safe havens while waiting for the signal to replicate). By studying how viruses work the levers that control cell growth and behavior, and how cells fight back to maintain their sovereignty, important cellular processes are revealed. Thus, many aspects of signal transduction, cell cycle control, regulation of gene expression, immunology, and carcinogenesis were elucidated by studies of viruses and their interactions with host cells. Indeed, with their large population sizes, short generation times, and high rate of mutation, viruses are ideal evolutionary probes of cells. We may pride ourselves on the power of functional genomics screens, next-generation DNA sequencing, and sophisticated bioinformatics and proteomic analysis to dissect cellular activities, but these tools are no match for millions of years of fast-track viral evolution.