ArticleAmerican journal of physiology. Cell physiology2020
Decoding SARS-CoV-2 hijacking of host mitochondria in COVID-19 pathogenesis.
Article in American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 238 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
238 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 373 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis, investigating dose and time of fluvoxamine treatment efficacy for COVID-19 clinical deterioration, death, and Long-COVID complications.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Mid and long-term neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations of post-COVID-19 syndrome: A meta-analysis.Journal of the neurological sciences · 2022Pooled it
- β-Cell Dysfunction in COVID-19 and Post-COVID Syndrome: Molecular Mechanisms Linking Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Insulin Secretion.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Exploring Key Regulators of Mitochondrial Dynamics and Immune Response in SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Viruses · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial OXPHOS restricts SARS-CoV-2 replication.Science advances · 2026Article
- Integrated immune, apoptotic and mitochondrial gene dysregulation in Long COVID and their association with symptom burden at 10 months post-infection.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Plasma Membrane Redox Failure Links COVID-19 Metabolic Stress to Ferroptotic Neurodegeneration.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Effects on Respiratory and Neurological Systems: Morphological Findings and Gene Expression in K18-hACE2 Mice Model.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Defective RNA Polymerase III sensing of mitochondrial DNA in pulmonary epithelial cells impairs type I IFN immunity to SARS-CoV-2.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Impact of nutrition on long COVID.Sports medicine and health science · 2026Review
- Oncolytic adenovirus type 11-induced ferroptosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells involves in mitochondrial impairment and the mTOR pathway.BMC cancer · 2026Article
- Neuroinflammatory and transcriptional dynamics during SARS-CoV-2 infection in KRT18-hACE2 mouse brain.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- BVDV utilizes PGC-1α downregulation to remodel the mitochondrial metabolic microenvironment, enhancing viral replication and impairing host immunity.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA as a candidate marker of hyperinflammation and immune activation in pre-adolescents, adolescents and young adults with COVID-19 and comorbidities.Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo · 2026Article
- Severe myocardium suppression in two congenital heart disease patients after remdesivir use - a case report.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Impaired Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) Mitochondrial Respiration Is Associated with Mortality and Long COVID Syndrome Severity in COVID-19 Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- The SARS-CoV-2 main protease causes mitochondrial dysfunction in a yeast model.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Role of mitochondria in physiological activities, diseases, and therapy.Molecular biomedicine · 2025Review
- A Gene Cluster of Mitochondrial Complexes Contributes to the Cognitive Decline of COVID-19 Infection.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Persistent Monocytic Bioenergetic Impairment and Mitochondrial DNA Damage in PASC Patients with Cardiovascular Complications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
178 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Because of the ongoing pandemic around the world, the mechanisms underlying the SARS-CoV-2-induced COVID-19 are subject to intense investigation. Based on available data for the SARS-CoV-1 virus, we suggest how CoV-2 localization of RNA transcripts in mitochondria hijacks the host cell's mitochondrial function to viral advantage. Besides viral RNA transcripts, RNA also localizes to mitochondria. SARS-CoV-2 may manipulate mitochondrial function indirectly, first by ACE2 regulation of mitochondrial function, and once it enters the host cell, open-reading frames (ORFs) such as ORF-9b can directly manipulate mitochondrial function to evade host cell immunity and facilitate virus replication and COVID-19 disease. Manipulations of host mitochondria by viral ORFs can release mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cytoplasm and activate mtDNA-induced inflammasome and suppress innate and adaptive immunity. We argue that a decline in ACE2 function in aged individuals, coupled with the age-associated decline in mitochondrial functions resulting in chronic metabolic disorders like diabetes or cancer, may make the host more vulnerable to infection and health complications to mortality. These observations suggest that distinct localization of viral RNA and proteins in mitochondria must play essential roles in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying virus communication with host mitochondria may provide critical insights into COVID-19 pathologies. An investigation into the SARS-CoV-2 hijacking of mitochondria should lead to novel approaches to prevent and treat COVID-19.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.