Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Engineering Artificial Factors to Specifically Manipulate Alternative Splicing in Human Cells
Published on: April 26, 2017
Variant- and vaccination-specific alternative splicing profiles in SARS-CoV-2 infections
Sung-Gwon Lee1, Priscilla A Furth1, Lothar Hennighausen1
1Section of Genetics and Physiology, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants, highlights the important role of understanding host-viral molecular interactions influencing infection outcomes. Alternative splicing post-infection can impact both host responses and viral replication. We analyzed RNA splicing patterns in immune cells across various SARS-CoV-2 variants, considering immunization status. Using a dataset of 190 RNA-seq samples from our prior studies, we observed a substantial deactivation of alternative splicing and RNA splicing-related genes in COVID-19 patients. The alterations varied significantly depending on the infecting variant and immunization history. Notably, Alpha or Beta-infected patients differed from controls, while Omicron-infected patients displayed a splicing profile closer to controls. Particularly, vaccinated Omicron-infected individuals showed a distinct dynamic in alternative splicing patterns not widely shared among other groups. Our findings underscore the intricate interplay between SARS-CoV-2 variants, vaccination-induced immunity, and alternative splicing, emphasizing the need for further investigations to deepen understanding and guide therapeutic development.
Related Concept Videos
RNA Splicing
Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Leaky Scanning
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Viral Recombination
Viral Mutations

