SARS-CoV-2 N Protein Antagonizes Stress Granule Assembly and IFN Production by Interacting with G3BPs to Facilitate Viral Replication
Hainan Liu, Yu Bai, Xun Zhang, Ting Gao, Yue Liu, Entao Li, Xuefeng Wang, Zheng Cao, Lin Zhu, Qincai Dong, Yong Hu, Guangfei Wang, Caiwei Song, Xiayang Niu, Tong Zheng, Di Wang, Zijing Liu, Yanwen Jin, Ping Li, Xiuwu Bian, Cheng Cao, Xuan Liu
Abstract
In this study, by in vitro assay and live SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, we provide solid evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 NP associates with G3BP1 and G3BP2 in vitro and in vivo . NP SARS-CoV-2 could efficiently suppress G3BP-mediated SG formation and potentiate viral infection by overcoming antiviral innate immunity mediated by G3BP1 in A549 cell lines and G3BP1 conditional knockout mice ( g3bp1 -cKO) mice, which provide in-depth evidence showing the mechanism underlying NP-related SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis through G3BPs.