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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Cell Biol. 2016 Nov 9;27(3):201–213. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2016.09.011

Figure 1. (+) ssRNA viruses exploit PE and PI4P lipid enriched organelles for replication.

Figure 1

Many plant and insect vectored animal (+) ssRNA viruses utilize the surface of PE/cholesterol rich membranes for genome replication. Organelles with pre-existing pools of PE and cholesterol such as mitochondria and peroxisomes are hijacked and further enriched in these lipids. In contrast, many human and animal (+) ssRNA viruses appear to rely on PI4P and cholesterol enriched membranes for replication. Upon infection, these viruses hijack host Type III PI4 kinases and cholesterol trafficking pathways to transform the secretory pathway membranes (ER, Golgi, TGN) into replication organelles that are highly enriched in PI4P and cholesterol. The PE/cholesterol and PI4P/cholesterol enriched membranes facilitate viral RNA synthesis by helping dock and concentrate viral replication proteins; by stimulating viral enzymatic reactions; and by generating high curvature membrane pockets that can concentrate and segregate viral replication machinery from the host innate immune defenses.