A Model for Network-Based Identification and Pharmacological Targeting of Aberrant, Replication-Permissive Transcriptional Programs Induced by Viral Infection Jun 19 Written By Steeve Boulant Precise characterization and targeting of host cell transcriptional machinery hijacked by viral infection remains challenging. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the host cell transcriptional machinery to induce a phenotypic state amenable to its replication. Specifically, analysis of Master Regulator (MR) proteins representing mechanistic determinants of the gene expression signature induced by SARS-CoV-2 in infected cells revealed coordinated inactivation of MRs enriched in physical interactions with SARS-CoV-2 proteins, suggesting their mechanistic role in maintaining a host cell state refractory to virus replication. To test their functional relevance, we measured SARS-CoV-2 replication in epithelial cells treated with drugs predicted to activate the entire repertoire of repressed MRs, based on their experimentally elucidated, context-specific mechanism of action. Overall, >80% of drugs predicted to be effective by this methodology induced significant reduction of SARS-CoV-2 replication, without affecting cell viability. This model for host-directed pharmacological therapy is fully generalizable and can be deployed to identify drugs targeting host cell-based MR signatures induced by virtually any pathogen Steeve Boulant
A Model for Network-Based Identification and Pharmacological Targeting of Aberrant, Replication-Permissive Transcriptional Programs Induced by Viral Infection Jun 19 Written By Steeve Boulant Precise characterization and targeting of host cell transcriptional machinery hijacked by viral infection remains challenging. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the host cell transcriptional machinery to induce a phenotypic state amenable to its replication. Specifically, analysis of Master Regulator (MR) proteins representing mechanistic determinants of the gene expression signature induced by SARS-CoV-2 in infected cells revealed coordinated inactivation of MRs enriched in physical interactions with SARS-CoV-2 proteins, suggesting their mechanistic role in maintaining a host cell state refractory to virus replication. To test their functional relevance, we measured SARS-CoV-2 replication in epithelial cells treated with drugs predicted to activate the entire repertoire of repressed MRs, based on their experimentally elucidated, context-specific mechanism of action. Overall, >80% of drugs predicted to be effective by this methodology induced significant reduction of SARS-CoV-2 replication, without affecting cell viability. This model for host-directed pharmacological therapy is fully generalizable and can be deployed to identify drugs targeting host cell-based MR signatures induced by virtually any pathogen Steeve Boulant
