Unlocking the mysteries of virus-host interactions: does functional genomics hold the key?

The interactions between viruses and the cells they infect are complex and multifaceted. While viruses strive to usurp cellular functions to their advantage, the cell strives to thwart these efforts by mounting a variety of defensive responses. These responses may include the induction of interferon, stress response, or apoptotic pathways, all of which are accompanied by changes in gene expression. Some viruses consistently win this tug of war, whereas others succumb to cellular defense mechanisms. The viral and cellular factors that determine the outcome are for the most part still unknown. With the advent of functional genomics, potent new technologies are now available to probe the complexities of virus-host interactions in ever increasing depth and detail. We describe here our efforts to use microarrays, proteomics, and bioinformatics to focus in on the changes in gene expression and protein production that occur in a virus-infected cell and to use these technologies to unlock the mysteries of virus-host interactions.