PLOS Biology · 14 August 2026 · From issue 22
In mouse cells, two different viruses build very different stress granules during infection.
Reto M. Lang, Silvio Steiner et al., Stress granules formed during infections with RNA viruses have significant virus-specific differences in generation and composition, PLOS Biology.
When cells face stress, they pause most protein-making and build small clumps called stress granules. This helps cells cope, and may also help fight viruses. In mouse cells, a coronavirus relative and an unrelated virus made very different kinds of these clumps. The coronavirus clumps formed at different times, held different proteins, and did not hold the virus's own genetic material. The other virus's clumps did hold its genetic material.
Shows that a coronavirus and an unrelated virus build cell clumps with different proteins and different genetic content.
Mouse cells only, lab study, no human data yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 17 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (PLOS Biology). Read the source
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