Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
Plus-strand RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) comprise a large group of pathogens of high medical relevance. In spite of their divergent biological properties, they have in common the remodeling of intracellular membranes that serve as scaffold for the formation of a cytoplasmic replication organelle. To study the 3D architecture of these factories we employ an integrative imaging approach in which we combine various light and electron microscopy techniques. In this way, we found that plus-strand RNA viruses create two morphotypes of replication organelles: double-membrane vesicles (exemplified by SARS-CoV-2 and HCV) and spherules (e.g. DENV and ZIKV). By combining genetic and biochemical approaches, we study the mechanisms underlying the formation of the replication organelles while their dynamics is analyzed by means of live cell imaging. In my presentation, I will provide selected examples of plus-strand RNA viruses, focusing on the 3D structure and biogenesis of their replication organelle and the cell biology driving organelle formation. These examples shall illustrate that evolutionarily distant viruses share striking similarities in the common use of host cell factors and mechanisms with gained knowledge providing new approaches for antiviral therapy.