Virus infection and apoptosis (Issue I): An introduction

Apoptosis is a highly regulated programmed cell death process, which is activated during normal development and by various stimuli that disturb cellular metabolism and physiology. It is., a fundamental cellular process that has become a major focus of basic biomedical research. Due to the cell's innate ability to self-destruct, apoptosis is also an important mechanism of host response to viral infection. While there is an enormous amount of literature on the molecular aspects of cellular apoptosis, the field of apoptosis during viral infection is still in its infancy. The goal of this series of review articles is to critically evaluate the existing knowledge of viral infection and apoptosis in important fields of virology. The next several years should be very fruitful in this nascent research area.