{
  "id": 9480033,
  "title": "A knockout screening platform for interferon-stimulated genes in respiratory cells identifies LY6E as a dominant antiviral effector against coronaviruses",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/a-knockout-screening-platform-for-interferon-stimulated-genes-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.751853v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) can cause mild illnesses to severe respiratory diseases. Understanding how respiratory cells mount an early antiviral response is crucial to comprehending how HCoVs are controlled. The Type I Interferon (IFN) response plays a major role in innate viral immunity. Upon activation, it triggers the expression of hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) with antiviral properties; however, the specific ISGs responsible for limiting mild HCoVs in the respiratory tract remain unclear.\n\nIn this study, researchers developed a targeted CRISPR-Cas9 knockout sgRNA library, known as the respISG library, to screen for innate host factors that counteract the mildly pathogenic HCoV-OC43. They conducted cell death-based screens in human small airway epithelial cells and identified lymphocyte antigen 6E (LY6E) as a top candidate. To validate this finding, they carried out additional studies, which confirmed LY6E's activity and its role in regulating the entry of various SARS-CoV-2 Spike-pseudotyped lentiviruses. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that LY6E plays a critical role in blocking multiple HCoVs in small airway epithelial cells. This research establishes a loss-of-function CRISPR-Cas9 screening platform for identifying HCoV antiviral ISGs in respiratory cells.",
  "summary": "Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) cause pathogenic outcomes ranging from mild illness to severe respiratory disease. Determining how respiratory cells coordinate an early antiviral response is necessary to understand successful control of HCoV replication. The Type I Interferon (IFN) response is a major component of innate viral immunity. IFN signaling leads to the upregulation of hundreds of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}