Since the end of 2019, the global COVID-19 outbreak has once again made coronaviruses a hot topic. Vaccines are hoped to be an effective way to stop the spread of the virus. However, there are no clinically approved vaccines available for coronavirus infections. Reverse genetics technology can realize the operation of RNA virus genomes at the DNA level and provide new ideas and strategies for the development of new vaccines. In this review, we systematically describe the role of reverse genetics technology in studying the effects of coronavirus proteins on viral virulence and innate immunity, cell and tissue tropism and antiviral drug screening. An efficient reverse genetics platform is useful for obtaining the ideal attenuated strain to prepare an attenuated live vaccine.Plant viruses are important pathogens that cause serious crop losses worldwide. They are obligate intracellular parasites that commandeer a wide array of proteins, as well as metabolic resources, from infected host cells. In the past two decades, our knowledge of plant-virus interactions at the molecular level has exploded, which provides insights into how plant-infecting viruses co-opt host cellular machineries to accomplish their infection. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how plant viruses divert cellular components from their original roles to proviral functions. One emerging theme is that plant viruses have versatile strategies that integrate a host factor that is normally engaged in plant defense against invading pathogens into a viral protein complex that facilitates viral infection. We also highlight viral manipulation of cellular key regulatory systems for successful virus infection posttranslational protein modifications for fine control of viral and cellular protein dynamics; glycolysis and fermentation pathways to usurp host resources, and ion homeostasis to create a cellular environment that is beneficial for viral genome replication. A deeper understanding of viral-infection strategies will pave the way for the development of novel antiviral strategies.Alphaviruses, members of the enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA Togaviridae family, represent a reemerging public health threat as mosquito vectors expand into new geographic territories. The Old World alphaviruses, which include chikungunya virus, Ross River virus, and Sindbis virus, tend to cause a clinical syndrome characterized by fever, rash, and arthritis, whereas the New World alphaviruses, which consist of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, and western equine encephalitis virus, induce encephalomyelitis. Following recovery from the acute phase of infection, many patients are left with debilitating persistent joint and neurological complications that can last for years. Clues from human cases and studies using animal models strongly suggest that much of the disease and pathology induced by alphavirus infection, particularly atypical and chronic manifestations, is mediated by the immune system rather than directly by the virus. This review discusses the current understanding of the immunopathogenesis of the arthritogenic and neurotropic alphaviruses accumulated through both natural infection of humans and experimental infection of animals, particularly mice. As treatment following alphavirus infection is currently limited to supportive care, understanding the contribution of the immune system to the disease process is critical to developing safe and effective therapies.Organisms clear infections by mounting an immune response that is normally turned off once the pathogens have been cleared. However, sometimes this immune response is not properly or timely arrested, resulting in the host damaging itself. This immune dysregulation may be referred to as immunopathology. While our knowledge of immune and metabolic pathways in insects, particularly in response to viral infections, is growing, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate this immune response and hence little is known about immunopathology in this important and diverse group of organisms. click here In this chapter we focus both on documenting the molecular mechanisms described involved in restoring immune homeostasis in insects after viral infections and on identifying potential mechanisms for future investigation. We argue that learning about the immunopathological consequences of an improperly regulated immune response in insects will benefit both insect and human health.It has been over 100 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic, one of the most infamous examples of viral immunopathology. Since that time, there has been an inevitable repetition of influenza pandemics every few decades and yearly influenza seasons, which have a significant impact on human health. Recently, noteworthy progress has been made in defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathology induced by an exuberant host response to influenza virus infection. Infection with influenza viruses is associated with a wide spectrum of disease, from mild symptoms to severe complications including respiratory failure, and the severity of influenza disease is driven by a complex interplay of viral and host factors. This chapter will discuss mechanisms of infection severity using concepts of disease resistance and tolerance as a framework for understanding the balance between viral clearance and immunopathology. We review mechanistic studies in animal models of infection and correlational studies in humans that have begun to define these factors and discuss promising host therapeutic targets to improve outcomes from severe influenza disease.Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus of the flavivirus genus in the Flaviviridae family. Flaviviruses are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that have been responsible for numerous human epidemics. Notable flaviviruses include mosquito-borne viruses such as yellow fever virus (YFV), Dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), as well as tick-borne viruses including Powassan virus (POWV) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Despite having been relatively obscure until the past decade, ZIKV has become a major global health concern, and is a topic of active research following multiple outbreaks across the globe. Here, we discuss ZIKV pathogenesis and the associated immunopathology, as well as advances in research, therapies, and vaccines developed using models of ZIKV pathogenesis.