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Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Methods to Classify Cytoplasmic Foci as Mammalian Stress Granules
Published on: May 12, 2017
Multiple functions of stress granules in viral infection at a glance
Yuelin Guan1, Yan Wang1, Xudong Fu2,3
1The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Stress granules (SGs) are distinct RNA granules induced by various stresses, which are evolutionarily conserved across species. In general, SGs act as a conservative and essential self-protection mechanism during stress responses. Viruses have a long evolutionary history and viral infections can trigger a series of cellular stress responses, which may interact with SG formation. Targeting SGs is believed as one of the critical and conservative measures for viruses to tackle the inhibition of host cells. In this systematic review, we have summarized the role of SGs in viral infection and categorized their relationships into three tables, with a particular focus on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, we have outlined several kinds of drugs targeting SGs according to different pathways, most of which are potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2. We believe this review would offer a new view for the researchers and clinicians to attempt to develop more efficacious treatments for virus infection, particularly for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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