The MA Methylome of SARS-CoV-2 in Host Cells

Overview

Journal Cell Res

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2021 Jan 29

PMID 33510385

Citations 84

Authors

June Liu

Yan-Peng Xu

Kai Li

Qing Ye

Hang-Yu Zhou

Hanxiao Sun

Xiaoyu Li

Liu Yu

Yong-Qiang Deng

Rui-Ting Li

Meng-Li Cheng

Bo He

Jia Zhou

Xiao-Feng Li

Aiping Wu

Chengqi Yi

Cheng-Feng Qin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The newly identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a global health emergency because of its rapid spread and high mortality. The molecular mechanism of interaction between host and viral genomic RNA is yet unclear. We demonstrate herein that SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA, as well as the negative-sense RNA, is dynamically N-methyladenosine (mA)-modified in human and monkey cells. Combined RIP-seq and miCLIP analyses identified a total of 8 mA sites at single-base resolution in the genome. Especially, epidemic strains with mutations at these identified mA sites have emerged worldwide, and formed a unique cluster in the US as indicated by phylogenetic analysis. Further functional experiments showed that mA methylation negatively regulates SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection also triggered a global increase in host mA methylome, exhibiting altered localization and motifs of mA methylation in mRNAs. Altogether, our results identify mA as a dynamic epitranscriptomic mark mediating the virus-host interaction.

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