Antiviral responses in peripheral and brain neurons

Abstract

Neurotropic viruses represent a public health challenge due to their ability to cause severe neurological conditions, including meningitis, encephalitis, and paralysis. Although many studies have investigated the immune responses to viral infections in the brain and other nervous system targets, most have focused on the effects of resident cells, such as microglia and astrocytes, and infiltrating immune cells, including neutrophils, monocytes, and T cells. However, emerging evidence has demonstrated that neurons themselves mount antiviral responses that suppress viral replication directly and enhance the inhibitory functions of adjacent glial and infiltrating immune cells. In this review, we discuss the intrinsic and extrinsic antiviral responses of neurons, highlighting mechanisms by which they detect viruses and initiate inhibitory responses to protect the nervous system from viral invasion and injury.