Concepts to reveal parvovirus–nucleus interactions

Abstract

Parvoviruses are small single-stranded (ss) DNA viruses, which replicate in the nucleo-plasm and affect both the structure and function of the nucleus. The nuclear stage of the parvovirus life cycle starts at the nuclear entry of incoming capsids and culminates in the successful passage of progeny capsids out of the nucleus. In this review, we will present past, current, and future microscopy and biochemical techniques and demonstrate their potential in revealing the dynamics and molecular interactions in the intranuclear processes of parvovirus infection. In particular, a number of advanced techniques will be presented for the detection of infection-induced changes, such as DNA modification and damage, as well as protein–chromatin interactions.