SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein hijacks host transcription by targeting eEF1A1

SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid promotes recruitment of IRF and AP-1 transcription factors, RNA polymerase II, and the elongation factor eEF1A1 to promoters of pro-inflammatory genes, revealing a previously unrecognized nuclear role for eEF1A1. SARS-CoV-2 variants display substantial genetic and phenotypic diversity, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects on host gene regulation need further investigation. We performed a transcriptomic analysis of host responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Delta and Omicron. Despite their divergence, all variants induced a conserved transcriptional program in human lung epithelial cells characterized by activation of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), immediate–early genes, and downstream cytokines. We identify the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein as a central driver of this transcriptional reprogramming, as N expression alone partially recapitulated the host response to infection. Mechanistically, N promotes recruitment of interferon regulatory factors and AP-1 transcription factors, RNA polymerase II, and the elongation factor eEF1A1 to promoters of pro-inflammatory genes, revealing a previously unrecognized nuclear role for eEF1A1. Disruption of the N-eEF1A1 interaction, genetically or pharmacologically using the eEF1A interactant plitidepsin, abolished transcriptional complex formation and reversed host gene dysregulation, identifying a conserved host–virus regulatory axis and potential pan-variant therapeutic target.