How SARS-CoV-2 communicates with human cells: mapping of molecular contacts

Although the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells are increasingly well documented, little is known about the direct molecular interaction between the virus and its host. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Helmholtz Munich, the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in Toronto and the Center for Cancer Systems Biology in Boston have generated a systematic map of molecular contacts between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its human host. The identification of direct partners of viral proteins revealed chains of connections between viral proteins and human proteins whose genetic differences could have a role in the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

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