Despite extensive research, the understanding of the molecular basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent COVID-19 pathophysiology is still limited. A recent study has reported the role of the Hippo pathway in SARS-CoV-2 infection and the potential of the ophthalmic drug verteporfin in COVID-19 treatment . To understand the Hippo pathway dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers used COVID-19 lung samples and models based on human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and primary lung air-liquid interface cultures.
It was found that both parental and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 activated the Hippo signaling pathway in the in vitro cultures. Verteporfin, which is a pharmacological inhibitor of a Hippo pathway downstream transactivator, was found to significantly impair virus replication. This study reports the Hippo pathway as a potential target for developing drugs to treat…
