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Updated: Jun 18, 2025

Studying RNA Interactors of Protein Kinase RNA-Activated during the Mammalian Cell Cycle
Published on: March 5, 2019
p38-MAPK is prerequisite for the synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 protein
Priyasi Mittal1,2, Nitin Khandelwal1, Yogesh Chander1
1National Centre for Veterinary Type Cultures, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, Haryana 125001 India.
Abstract:
The inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) by small molecule chemical inhibitors was previously shown to impair severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication, however, mechanisms underlying antiviral activity remains unexplored. In this study, reduced growth of SARS-CoV-2 in p38-α knockout Vero cells, together with enhanced viral yield in cells transfected with construct expressing p38α, suggested that p38-MAPK is essential for the propagation of SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 was also shown to induce phosphorylation (activation) of p38, at time when transcription/translational activities are considered to be at the peak levels. Further, we demonstrated that p38 supports viral RNA/protein synthesis without affecting viral attachment, entry, and budding in the target cells. In conclusion, we provide mechanistic insights on the regulation of SARS-CoV-2 replication by p38 MAPK.
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