Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41741549›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

NEAT1 drives SARS-CoV-2 N protein-induced inflammation, metabolic reprogramming, and mitochondria-ER stress crosstalk.

Cheng Qing, Huaigang Chen, Shuying Huang, Jianguo Zhang, Chaoqi Zhou, Shichao Zhang, Kaihang Luo, Cheng Wang, Zhiguo Hu, Yuting Yang and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Cheng Qing *Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Huaigang Chen *Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Shuying HuangDepartment of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Jianguo ZhangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong, China.
Chaoqi ZhouDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Shichao ZhangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Kaihang LuoDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Cheng WangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Zhiguo HuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Yuting YangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Jia ZhouDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Zhenguo ZengDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Medical Center of Anesthesiologyand Pain, The First Affliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China. zengzhenguo@ncu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5862-1238

Funding

Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine 1210570003Key Research and Development Project of Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation 20202BBG73026National Natural Science Foundation of China 82060361, 82360373, 81460015, 82060360Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province 20224ACB206020Shandong Province Medical and Health Science and Technology Project 202319010719
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 remains a global health concern. Although its nucleocapsid (N) protein supports viral replication and evades host immunity, its role in host metabolic reprogramming and organelle homeostasis is not fully understood. This study aims to elucidate whether the N protein modulates glycolysis and mitochondrial-ER stress crosstalk via the long non-coding RNA NEAT1. We established human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells stably expressing the N protein. Inflammatory and glycolytic gene expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. ROS levels were measured by flow cytometry, while mitochondrial membrane potential, Ca²⁺ overload, and mitochondria-ER contact sites (MAMs) were assessed by confocal microscopy. NEAT1 knockdown and HK2-VDAC1 interaction studies were performed to explore underlying mechanisms. The N protein induced inflammatory responses, enhanced LPS sensitivity, and triggered mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress, and MAM formation. It promoted glycolytic reprogramming by upregulating key enzymes (GLUT1, HK2, PKM2). NEAT1 was essential for these effects-N protein increased NEAT1 expression, and NEAT1 knockdown attenuated inflammation, glycolysis, and mitochondrial damage. Mechanistically, NEAT1 silencing restored HK2-VDAC1 association and suppressed VDAC1 oligomerization. The SARS-CoV-2 N protein exacerbates inflammation through a NEAT1-dependent mechanism that drives glycolytic reprogramming and disrupts mitochondrial-ER homeostasis.

Indexed as

Coronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsCOVID-19InflammationMitochondriaPhosphoproteinsRNA, Long NoncodingSARS-CoV-2Cell LineEndoplasmic ReticulumEpithelial CellsGlycolysisHexokinaseHumansMembrane Potential, MitochondrialMetabolic ReprogrammingReactive Oxygen SpeciesCoronavirus Nucleocapsid ProteinsHexokinaseHK2 protein, humannucleocapsid phosphoprotein, SARS-CoV-2PhosphoproteinsReactive Oxygen SpeciesRNA, Long NoncodingVDAC1 protein, humanVoltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1COVID-19 inflammationGlycolytic reprogrammingLong non-coding RNA NEAT1Mitochondria-ER stress crosstalkSARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

Identifiers

PMID41741549
PMCPMC13043739

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.