Lumpy Skin Disease Virus Pathogenesis: Viral Protein Functions and Comparative Insights from Vaccinia Virus

Abstract

Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), a member of the poxvirus family, represents a significant threat to global cattle industries. This review presents an analysis of LSDV-encoded proteins and their interactions with host systems, elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing viral life cycle progression and immune evasion strategies. We provide detailed characterization of the complex architecture of LSDV virions, including Intracellular Mature Virus (IMV), Extracellular Enveloped Virus (EEV), lateral bodies, and the core components, while summarizing the crucial functions of viral proteins throughout various stages of infection—entry, replication, transcription, translation, assembly, and egress. Particular attention is given to the immunomodulatory strategies employed by LSDV to subvert both innate and adaptive immune responses. These mechanisms encompass molecular mimicry of cytokines and chemokines, interference with antigen presentation pathways, inhibition of key immune signaling cascades, and modulation of apoptosis and autophagy processes. Through comparative analysis with homologs from related poxviruses, especially vaccinia virus, we highlight both evolutionarily conserved functions and potential unique adaptations in LSDV proteins. This review further identifies critical knowledge gaps in current understanding and proposes promising research directions. We emphasize that integrating multi-omics approaches with structural biology will be essential for advancing our understanding of LSDV pathogenesis and for developing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against this important animal pathogen.