Agrahari, A. and Archana, K. and Singh, N. and Haldar, S. and Thakur, Krishan Gopal and Vinod, B.S.V and Tripathi, Rajkumar (2025) Identification and Characterization of a Novel Protein-Protein Interaction Among SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid, Host SFPQ, and hnRNP U and Its Potential Role in Virus Replication. Biology of the cell,, 117 (4).
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has led to significant global health and economic challenges and caused the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability of the virus to replicate adeptly within host cells is critical for its pathogenicity. The structural nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 packages newly synthesized viral RNA with the association of various host proteins that may contribute to different functions in maintaining a productive viral life cycle. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of host proteins SFPQ and hnRNP U interacting with SARS-CoV-2 N protein in both N-transfected cells and virus-infected cells, forming a hetero-trimeric protein complex. Using carefully designed peptides that span the length of N protein and competitive inhibition, we identified the interacting domains at N protein that interact with SFPQ and hnRNP U. Our results constitute the first report that the characterized N protein and host SFPQ and hnRNP U form a hetero-trimeric protein complex in both N transfected cells and virus-infected cells. Utilizing competitive peptides, we were able to disrupt the hetero-trimeric protein complex in virus-infected cells, leading to reduction in viral replication. These results clearly demonstrate that N-SFPQ-hnRNP U hetero-trimeric protein complex formation is found in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells that regulate viral replication. Our findings suggest that the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between N-SFPQ-hnRNP U hetero-trimeric protein complexes could be a novel drug target for developing therapeutics against COVID-19.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Copyright of this article belongs to Wiley |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | COVID‐19; SARS‐CoV‐2; SFPQ; hnRNP U; nucleocapsid |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QR Microbiology |
| Depositing User: | Dr. K.P.S.Sengar |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Jan 2026 14:25 |
| Last Modified: | 31 Jan 2026 14:27 |
| URI: | http://crdd.osdd.net/open/id/eprint/3194 |
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