A virus hijacks host cellular machineries and metabolites in order to reproduce. In response, the innate immune system activates different processes to fight back. Although many aspects of these processes have been well investigated, the key roles played by iron–sulfur [FeS] clusters, which are among the oldest classes of bio-inorganic cofactors, have barely been considered. Here we discuss how several [FeS] cluster-containing proteins activate, support and modulate the innate immune response to restrict viral infections, and how some of these proteins simultaneously support the replication of viruses. We also propose models of function of some proteins in the innate immune response and argue that [FeS] clusters in many of these proteins act as biological ‘fuses’ to control the response. We hope this overview helps to inspire future research in the emerging field of bio-inorganic virology/immunology and that such studies may reveal new molecular insight into the links between viral infections and diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration.

病毒劫持宿主细胞机器和代谢物以进行繁殖。作为回应，先天免疫系统会激活不同的过程进行反击。尽管已经对这些过程的许多方面进行了很好的研究，但几乎没有考虑铁硫 [FeS] 簇所起的关键作用，它们是最古老的生物无机辅助因子类别之一。在这里，我们讨论了几种含有 [FeS] 簇的蛋白质如何激活、支持和调节先天免疫反应以限制病毒感染，以及其中一些蛋白质如何同时支持病毒的复制。我们还提出了一些蛋白质在先天免疫反应中的功能模型，并认为许多这些蛋白质中的 [FeS] 簇充当控制反应的生物“熔断器”。