Bioinformatics approaches for unveiling virus-host interactions
Hitoshi Iuchi, Junna Kawasaki, Kento Kubo, Tsukasa Fukunaga, Koki Hokao, Gentaro Yokoyama, Akiko Ichinose, Kanta Suga, Michiaki Hamada
Abstract
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has elucidated major limitations in the capacity of medical and research institutions to appropriately manage emerging infectious diseases. We can improve our understanding of infectious diseases by unveiling virus-host interactions through host range prediction and protein-protein interaction prediction. Although many algorithms have been developed to predict virus-host interactions, numerous issues remain to be solved, and the entire network remains veiled. In this review, we comprehensively surveyed algorithms used to predict virus-host interactions. We also discuss the current challenges, such as dataset biases toward highly pathogenic viruses, and the potential solutions. The complete prediction of virus-host interactions remains difficult; however, bioinformatics can contribute to progress in research on infectious diseases and human health.