Eph receptors: the bridge linking host and virus

Eph (erythropoietin-producing hepatoma) receptors and Ephrin ligands constitute the largest subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), which were first discovered in tumors. Heretofore, Eph protein has been shown to be involved in various tumor biological behaviors including proliferation and progression. The occurrence of specific types of tumor is closely related to the virus infection. Virus entry is a complex process characterized by a series of events. The entry into target cells is an essential step for virus to cause diseases, which requires the fusion of the viral envelope and host cellular membrane mediated by viral glycoproteins and cellular receptors. Integrin molecules are well known as entry receptors for most herpes viruses. However, in recent years, Eph receptors and their Ephrin ligands have been reported to be involved in virus infections. The main mechanism may be the interaction between Eph receptors and conserved viral surface glycoprotein, such as the gH/gL or gB protein of the herpesviridae. This review focuses on the relationship between Eph receptor family and virus infection that summarize the processes of viruses such as EBV, KSHV, HCV, RRV, etc., infecting target cells through Eph receptors and activating its downstream signaling pathways resulting in malignancies. Finally, we discussed the perspectives to block virus infection, prevention, and treatment of viral-related tumors via Eph receptor family.