Host protein

Host proteins are the set of proteins encoded by the genome of the host organism (e.g., human) that may play critical roles in normal cellular function, immune response, and pathogenesis. In infectious diseases, viral, bacterial, or other pathogens exploit host proteins for replication, immune evasion, and cell entry. Recent therapeutic development, especially in antivirals, has aimed to target host proteins essential for pathogen survival or replication (“host dependency factors”) to reduce drug resistance and provide broad-spectrum activity. However, the generic targeting of “host proteins” carries substantial risk due to their central roles in normal physiology, making specificity crucial. Drug discovery focuses on discrete host protein targets with sufficient selectivity to mitigate undesired effects. For a precise structured data entry, “Host protein” should be replaced by the specific protein of interest (e.g., “CCR5 chemokine receptor” for HIV, “ACE2” for SARS-CoV-2, etc.). Generic entries like “Host protein” are considered incorrect as canonical targets in drug discovery and should be updated for specificity.

Other names

Host factorCellular proteinHost dependency factor

Modulation or inhibition of host protein function (e.g., blocking host-pathogen interaction) Signal transduction blockage Immune modulation Enzyme inhibition Receptor antagonism/agonism (Specific mechanisms require specification of the host protein)