MEK1/2 inhibitor ATR-002 reshapes host transcriptome and modulates immune regulatory genes in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Franziska Rodner, Klaus Schughart, Stephan Ludwig, André Schreiber · 2026
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Description
Franziska Rodner and colleagues studied in 2026 how a host-targeted drug, ATR-002, reshapes gene activity during SARS-CoV-2 infection in lung cells. Severe COVID-19 often involves a runaway inflammatory response late in illness. The drug blocks MEK1/2, a link in a signaling chain the virus uses, and had shown benefit in a patient trial.
Infected cells switched on many innate immune genes, including signals also seen in severe patient cases. Adding the drug reversed much of that pattern. Control tests in uninfected cells showed most of the reversal came from lower virus levels rather than direct drug action. A few genes, notably EGR1, IFNL1, and NLRP1, did respond to the pathway block itself. NLRP1 was newly tied to this pathway and links it to a driver of excess inflammation.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Franziska Rodner, Klaus Schughart, Stephan Ludwig, André Schreiber |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 56 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |