Protein-protein interactions in RSV assembly: potential targets for attenuating RSV strains

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major respiratory pathogen of infants and children worldwide, with no effective treatment or vaccine available. Steady progress has been made in understanding the respiratory syncytial virus lifecycle and the consequences of infection, but some areas of RSV assembly still remain poorly understood. Although many of the interactions between virus proteins that are required for efficient RSV assembly have been elucidated, many questions still remain regarding viral assembly, as well as the mechanisms of RSV budding. This review will summarise the current understanding of RSV assembly, including the various interactions between virus proteins and the involvement of cellular factors with a view to identifying possible attenuation and/or drug targets within the assembly pathway.