Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40858555›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Phosphorylation toggles the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein between two membrane-associated condensate states.

Bruna Favetta, Huan Wang, Jasmine Cubuk, Arjun Singh, Mayur Barai, Cesar Ramirez, Haiyan Zheng, Adam J Gormley, N Sanjeeva Murthy, Gregory Dignon and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
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  7. Review
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Bruna FavettaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Huan WangDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7549-5026
Jasmine CubukDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6915-8242
Arjun SinghDepartment of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Mayur BaraiDepartment of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-1022-3999
Cesar RamirezDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Haiyan ZhengCenter for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1955-1817
Adam J GormleyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2884-725X
N Sanjeeva MurthyDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2324-5874
Gregory DignonDepartment of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Andrea SorannoDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8394-7993
Zheng ShiDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5214-1871
Benjamin S SchusterDepartment of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA. benjamin.schuster@rutgers.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6468-8081

Funding

X-ray Scattering Technology CoreP30GM133893 · NIGMS · BROOKHAVEN SCIENCE ASSOC-BROOKHAVEN LAB · PI Vivian Stojanoff · 2019 to 2026
$38.6M
Sequence determinants of membraneless organelle rheology -- Research supplement to promote diversityR35GM142903 · NIGMS · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · PI Benjamin S Schuster · 2021 to 2026
$2.6M
Tuning multivalency for optimized ligand presentationR35GM138296 · NIGMS · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · PI GORMLEY, ADAM JOSEPH · 2020 to 2024
$2.3M
Understanding the viscoelasticity, surface tension, and membrane interactions of biomolecular condensates in live cellsR35GM147027 · NIGMS · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · PI Zheng Shi · 2022 to 2026
$1.6M
Physical laws to control and regulate composition of multi-component biomolecular condensatesR35GM150589 · NIGMS · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · PI Gregory Dignon · 2023 to 2026
$1.4M
A Simultaneous SAXS/WAXS Detector System for Solving Biological StructuresS10OD012331 · OD · STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK · PI ALLAIRE, MARC · 2012 to 2012
$1.1M
NIGMS NIH HHS P30 GM133893NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM138296NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM142903NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM147027NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM150589NIH HHS S10 OD012331U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM138296U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM142903U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM147027U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) R35GM150589
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Nucleocapsid protein (N) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a critical role in the viral lifecycle by regulating RNA replication and by packaging the viral genome. N and RNA phase separate to form condensates that may be important for these functions. Both functions occur at membrane surfaces, but how N toggles between these two membrane-associated functional states is unclear. Here, we reveal that phosphorylation switches how N condensates interact with membranes, in part by modulating condensate material properties. Our studies also show that phosphorylation alters N's interaction with viral membrane proteins. We gain mechanistic insight through structural analysis and molecular simulations, which suggest phosphorylation induces a conformational change in N that softens condensate material properties. Together, our findings identify membrane association as a key feature of N condensates and provide mechanistic insights into the regulatory role of phosphorylation. Understanding this mechanism suggests potential therapeutic targets for COVID infection.

Indexed as

Cell MembraneCoronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsPhosphoproteinsSARS-CoV-2COVID-19HumansMolecular Dynamics SimulationPhosphorylationProtein BindingRNA, ViralCoronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteinsnucleocapsid phosphoprotein, SARS-CoV-2PhosphoproteinsRNA, Viral

Identifiers

PMID40858555
PMCPMC12381204

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Registered trials

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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.