{
  "abstract": "SARS-CoV-2 variants display substantial genetic and phenotypic diversity, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects on host gene regulation need further investigation. We performed a transcriptomic analysis of host responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Delta and Omicron. Despite their divergence, all variants induced a conserved transcriptional program in human lung epithelial cells characterized by activation of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), immediate-early genes, and downstream cytokines. We identify the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein as a central driver of this transcriptional reprogramming, as N expression alone partially recapitulated the host response to infection. Mechanistically, N promotes recruitment of interferon regulatory factors and AP-1 transcription factors, RNA polymerase II, and the elongation factor eEF1A1 to promoters of pro-inflammatory genes, revealing a previously unrecognized nuclear role for eEF1A1. Disruption of the N-eEF1A1 interaction, genetically or pharmacologically using the eEF1A interactant plitidepsin, abolished transcriptional complex formation and reversed host gene dysregulation, identifying a conserved host-virus regulatory axis and potential pan-variant therapeutic target.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Taiwan International Bio Research Center (TIBRC), College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Department of Life Science, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.",
    "Cell Biology and Pharmacogenomics Department, PharmaMar S.A, Colmenar Viejo, Spain.",
    "Taiwan International Bio Research Center (TIBRC), College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan egly@igbmc.fr.",
    "Institut de Génétique, Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Strasbourg (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.",
    "Development Center for Biotechnology, Taipei, Taiwan."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Baptiste Bidon",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0113-8717"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yu-Lin Lai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Tai-Ling Chao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gawa Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5871-8117"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yee-Shin Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hsiang-Hung Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jia-Syuan Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6587-9197"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Alejandro Gonzalez Losada",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-2405-878X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Sui-Yuan Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Jean-Marc Egly",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5960-6571"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Tsai-Kun Li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c3gfxnsbfs83k.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26508/lsa.202603751",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13669674",
  "id": "c3gfxnsbfs83k",
  "issns": [
    "2575-1077"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875173",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221785813",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13669674?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13669674",
  "pmid": "42875173",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c3gfxnsbfs83k.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42875173",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42875173"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein hijacks host transcription by targeting eEF1A1.",
  "title_text": "SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein hijacks host transcription by targeting eEF1A1.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c3gfxnsbfs83k",
  "venue": "Life science alliance",
  "versions": []
}