Schmidt Lab Alumni

In case you missed this, several groups are reporting that the OAS1 protein (a dsRNA sensor that protects against COVID) depends on prenylation for optimal activity. Some people produce a shortened, non-prenylated version of OAS1 that is correlated with more severe infection.

Defective viral RNA sensing linked to severe COVID-19 Genetic variation in a sensor of double-stranded RNA can exacerbate COVID-19