Reciprocal control of viral infection and phosphoinositide dynamics

Phosphoinositides are scarce but dynamic lipids within the cell. They play crucial roles in regulating membrane dynamics and identity, intracellular trafficking, and signal transduction. These functions are coordinated through their distribution and turnover by phosphoinositide-kinases, phosphatases, and lipid-transfer proteins, which also act as key mediators in these processes. Viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens that have developed strategies to hijack the host cellular machinery, including lipid metabolic pathways, to support their replication. During viral infection, they take advantage of phosphoinositides to accomplish various steps of their cycle, such as entry, formation of replication organelles, assembly, and egress. Having such an important role in the viral cycle, targeting phosphoinositide metabolism has emerged as an interesting antiviral strategy over the years. This Review provides insight into the versatility of phosphoinositides during viral infection, presenting their involvement in the viral life cycle, their role as mediators of antiviral immunity, and their potential as a novel approach to antiviral development.