Virus-induced metabolic reprogramming and innate sensing hereof by the infected host

To make new infectious particles, all viruses must manipulate host cell metabolism to secure sufficient availability of biomolecules and energy — a phenomenon now known as metabolic reprogramming. Numerous observations of this has already been made for a range of viruses with each type of virus seemingly applying its own unique tactics to accomplish this unifying goal. In this light, metabolic reprogramming of the infected cell is largely beneficial to the virus and not to the host. On the other hand, virus-induced metabolic reprogramming represents a transformed self with distorted cellular and extracellular levels of distinct metabolites and metabolic by-products. This review briefly outlines current knowledge of virus-induced metabolic reprogramming, discusses how this could be sensed by the infected host to initiate anti-viral programs, and presents examples of innate anti-viral mechanisms of the host that target the availability of biomolecules to block viral replication.