ERC Consolidator Grant · 2023
Non-canonical modification of viral RNA
Viruses cause significant disease, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most studies of virus-host interactions focused on proteins, however, RNA holds great promise for basic and therapeutic exploration. Viruses evolved elaborate strategies for RNA protection, including 5’ capping and internal modification. The goal of this proposal is to discover and characterize viral RNA modifications installed by viral enzymes, including their role in innate immune evasion. This could uncover novel RNA-based mechanisms of viral replication and host modulation and lead to therapeutic targets. Many viruses encode methyltransferases (MTases) for canonical RNA 5’ capping. Curiously, no cap was identified…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.