Retroviruses contribute to several human diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), various types of cancers, autoimmunity, and central nervous system dysfunction. Retroviruses are enveloped RNA viruses that replicate via the enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) to produce double-stranded DNA from the RNA genome. The critical steps in retroviral replication include virion entry into the host cell, reverse transcription of viral RNA, nuclear import of the preintegration complex (PIC), integration of viral DNA into the host chromosome, transcription and translation of viral proteins, trafficking of viral proteins to assembly sites, budding of viral particles, and maturation. Host proteins are involved in specific steps of virus replication. Recent genomewide siRNA screens have provided evidence for the involvement of a number of host proteins in HIV-1 replication. Identification of host factors involved in the replication of pathogenic viruses is a rapidly growing field. The currently available antiretroviral drugs are targeted towards the activity of the viral enzymes RT, integrase, and protease or inhibit viral entry. However, a significant limitation of antiviral therapy is the emergence of drug-resistant viral variants. Understanding the role of host proteins in viral replication could potentially lead to the development of new strategies for therapeutic intervention to combat these deadly pathogens.

We invite authors to submit original research articles as well as review articles for a special issue dealing with the host-pathogen interactions of retroviruses. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Recent developments in retroviral entry
• Mechanistic aspects of retroviral reverse transcription and inhibitors of RT
• Advances in the nuclear import of the PIC and the role of nuclear pore proteins
• Integration of viral DNA into the host cell genome and integrase inhibitors
• Transcription of viral mRNA and role of cellular transcriptional factors
• Synthesis and trafficking of viral proteins
• Targeting viral proteins to assembly sites and virus budding
• Protease-mediated virus maturation, inhibitors of protease, and maturation process
• Identification of host factors involved in replication of retroviruses by yeast two-hybrid screens, genomewide siRNA screens, and viral interacting proteins by pulldown/mass spectrometry approaches
• Retroviral latency, mechanisms of transcriptional latency, and role of host proteins
• New antiviral drugs and mechanism of action

Articles published in this special issue will not be subject to the journal's Article Processing Charges.

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mbi/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: