The SARS-CoV-2 protein NSP2 impairs the silencing capacity of the human 4EHP-GIGYF2 complex.

There is an urgent need for a molecular understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 influences the machineries of the host cell. Herein, we focused our attention on the capacity of the SARS-CoV-2 protein NSP2 to bind the human 4EHP-GIGYF2 complex, a key factor involved in microRNA-mediated silencing of gene expression. Using interaction assays, our data demonstrate that NSP2 physically associates with both 4EHP and a central segment in GIGYF2 in the cytoplasm.