tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Biol Sci
. 2022 Jul 11;18(12):4704-4713.
doi: 10.7150/ijbs.72663. eCollection 2022.
Signaling mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein in viral infection, cell death and inflammation
Wenbiao Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Junzhe Chen[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Xueqing Yu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hui-Yao Lan[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
COVID-19 which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a worldwide pandemic and a major global public health threat. SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (N) protein plays a critical role in multiple steps of the viral life cycle and participates in viral replication, transcription, and assembly. The primary roles of N protein are to assemble with genomic RNA into the viral RNA-protein (vRNP) complex and to localize to the replication transcription complexes (RTCs) to enhance viral replication and transcription. N protein can also undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) with viral genome RNA and inhibit stress granules to facilitate viral replication and assembly. Besides the function in viral life cycle, N protein can bind GSDMD to antagonize pyroptosis but promotes cell death via the Smad3-dependent G1 cell cycle arrest mechanism. In innate immune system, N protein inhibits IFN-β production and RNAi pathway for virus survival. However, it can induce expression of proinflammatory cytokines by activating NF-κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome, resulting in cytokine storms. In this review article, we are focusing on the signaling mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 N protein in viral replication, cell death and inflammation.
. 2022 Jul 11;18(12):4704-4713.
doi: 10.7150/ijbs.72663. eCollection 2022.
Signaling mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein in viral infection, cell death and inflammation
Wenbiao Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Junzhe Chen[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Xueqing Yu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hui-Yao Lan[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35874957
- PMCID: PMC9305276
- DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.72663
Abstract
COVID-19 which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a worldwide pandemic and a major global public health threat. SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (N) protein plays a critical role in multiple steps of the viral life cycle and participates in viral replication, transcription, and assembly. The primary roles of N protein are to assemble with genomic RNA into the viral RNA-protein (vRNP) complex and to localize to the replication transcription complexes (RTCs) to enhance viral replication and transcription. N protein can also undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) with viral genome RNA and inhibit stress granules to facilitate viral replication and assembly. Besides the function in viral life cycle, N protein can bind GSDMD to antagonize pyroptosis but promotes cell death via the Smad3-dependent G1 cell cycle arrest mechanism. In innate immune system, N protein inhibits IFN-β production and RNAi pathway for virus survival. However, it can induce expression of proinflammatory cytokines by activating NF-κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome, resulting in cytokine storms. In this review article, we are focusing on the signaling mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 N protein in viral replication, cell death and inflammation.