“CRISPRscreen to identify lncRNA genes critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection”
Coronavirus disease(COVID-19) is caused by the infection of Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The viral entry into host cells is mediated by aSpike glycoprotein, which binds to the cell surface receptorangiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are thelargest and most diverse group of non-coding genes in the human genome and wereshown to regulate a variety of cellular functions. Whereas coding genes crucialfor SARS-Cov2 infection have been identified, lncRNAs that mediate theinfection remain elusive. Our research objective is to perform a CRISPR screenof functional lncRNAs critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection.