Divergent Strategies in Innate Immune Evasion: A Comparative Review of Three Alphaherpesvirus Subfamily Members-PRV, HSV-1, and VZV.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), an important member of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, shares high evolutionary homology with other members of the same subfamily, including human herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). However, significant differences exist among them in terms of host range, pathogenicity, and immune evasion strategies. This review systematically compares the roles of PRV, HSV type 1 (HSV-1), and VZV in modulating host innate immune responses, encompassing the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling, RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling, NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling, Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway, apoptosis, and autophagy. By summarizing and comparing the interactions of these three viruses with the host innate immune response, this review aims to provide a theoretical reference for understanding the conserved and unique mechanisms of immune evasion among alphaherpesviruses, and to offer insights for the development of novel antiviral strategies.