Viruses have evolved to hijack key cellular components of their natural host. The VirEOS
project will analyze how medically relevant viruses such as human respiratory syncytial,
hepatitis E, yellow fever, Zika or Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus, interfere with RNA
sensing and RNA homeostasis in their host cells. The impact of identified factors on the
pathogenicity and on the immune responses will then be analyzed in vivo, using infectious
models. Understanding how viruses manipulate cellular RNA should not only provide new
targets to the development of antiviral drugs but also help to identify important cellular hubs
in RNA physiology.