Molecular Characterization of Host–Pathogen Interactions and Targeted Immunological Interventions Against Viral Diseases in Commercial Marine Aquaculture

Commercial marine aquaculture, including the strategic shift to deep-sea cage cultivation, is pivotal to global food security and coastal economic vitality. However, the intensification and globalization of marine farming systems have accelerated the emergence and transboundary spread of diverse pathogens, triggering recurrent mass epidemics and substantial financial deficits.Due to their rapid transmission and high lethality, viral diseases pose a catastrophic threat to industry sustainability. High-density aquatic ecosystems foster complex evolutionary dynamics in viral populations, which employ sophisticated strategies to breach cellular barriers, hijack host metabolic pathways, and circumvent immune clearance, thus collectively diminishing the effectiveness of conventional antiviral countermeasures. Infection outcomes also depend on the host and its environment. Host-related factors, such as genetic background, age, nutritional and physiological status, and microbiome composition, and culture conditions, such as temperature, salinity, oxygen, stocking density, and water quality, shape how viruses and hosts interact. A critical bottleneck to mitigating these hazards is our fragmented insight into the molecular interactions between marine viruses and their hosts, and into how host and environmental conditions modulate those interactions. Deciphering these intricate mechanisms is essential for the rational design of precise, durable immunological interventions to safeguard the enduring advancement of global aquaculture.This Research Topic aims to catalyze the development of targeted immunological interventions and novel disease control strategies for commercial marine aquaculture through the systematic dissection of virus-host molecular interactions. Specifically, it seeks to deepen our mechanistic comprehension of viral invasion, replication, and pathogenesis, incorporating complex processes such as immune evasion, virus-induced cell death, and metabolic reprogramming. It also seeks to broaden the scope to studies that explore how host-related factors and culture conditions influence viral infection, viral dynamics, and disease outcomes.By exploring these viral mechanisms alongside the architecture of host innate and adaptive immune networks, this Research Topic bridges the critical knowledge chasms that currently constrain rational antiviral design. Fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration among virologists, immunologists, aquatic animal health specialists, and industry practitioners, we intend to build a cohesive evidence base across all commercially relevant taxa: fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. Ultimately, this collection strives to translate fundamental mechanistic insights into field-ready antiviral innovations that strengthen aquatic animal health and ensure the prosperous development of marine aquaculture worldwide.We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:Viral Attachment and Entry: Mechanisms of virion binding, host receptor interaction, and cellular internalization pathways.Viral Replication and Pathogenesis: Viral genome replication, gene expression regulation, and molecular drivers of disease progression.Viral Immune Evasion: Viral strategies to subvert, suppress, or escape host immune surveillance and elimination.Virus-Induced Cell Death: Molecular pathways of necrosis, apoptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy triggered by viral infection.Viral Metabolic Reprogramming: Virus-induced alterations in host metabolism to support viral biosynthesis and propagation.Host Innate and Adaptive Immunity: Architecture and dynamics of host defense networks, spanning innate pattern recognition and adaptive immune memory.Host Factors, Culture Conditions, and Virus–Host Interactions: Influence of host genetics, age, nutritional and physiological status, and microbiome, together with environmental and culture parameters (temperature, salinity, oxygen, stocking density, water quality, and in vitro cell culture conditions), on virus–host interactions, viral replication and dynamics, susceptibility to infection, and disease outcomes.Targeted Immunological Interventions: Design and development of vaccines, specialized antibodies, immunomodulators, herbal medicines, and chemical compounds for precise antiviral protection.Novel Disease Control Strategies: Translation, efficacy assessment, and field evaluation of innovative prophylactic and therapeutic interventions within commercial aquaculture systems. Topic editors: Carmelo Segovia del Castillo, SUNITA AWATE, Chuang Cui, Zhiqi Zhang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86691/molecular-characterization-of-host-pathogen-interactions-and-targeted-immunological-interventions-against-viral-diseases-in-commercial-marine-aquaculture