Ulrich Desselberger
The replication of species A rotaviruses (RVAs) and other RNA viruses involves recruitment of and interaction with the cellular organelles lipid droplets (LDs), both physically and functionally. Thus, inhibitions of enzymes of the cellular fatty acid biosynthesis pathway or activation of cellular lipases degrading LDs reduce the functions of ‘viral factories’ (viroplasms for rotaviruses) or replication compartments of other RNA viruses and decrease the infectivity titers of progeny virus. In the context, rotavirus research has significantly progressed by the development of human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) as alternative for in vitro culture in permanent cell lines, and by the availability of plasmid only-based reverse genetics systems for RVAs, permitting exact structure-function correlations. Involvement of LDs has been found to be essential for the replication of flaviviruses (mainly hepatitis C virus), picornaviruses and noroviruses, and for the growth of some intracellular bacteria.