Fig. 3
Lipid droplets (LDs) function in viral infections. LDs and lipid metabolism play a crucial role in the positive strand ( +) RNA viral cycle, including that of flaviviruses. The process of triggering the NACHT, LRR, and PYD domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which cleaves the Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) and activates the lipogenesis genes and structural LDs proteins, including PLIN3/TIP 47, is what causes the induction of LD during viral infection. Following LD buildup, it may be a substrate for DENV assembly or viral replication. LDs are depleted by DENV-induced lipophagy, which supplies energy for viral replication [46, 47]