Ubiquitination of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a Prevents Cell Death Induced by Recruiting BclXL To Activate ER Stress

Viruses struggle to reproduce after infecting cells, and the host eliminates infected cells through apoptosis to prevent virus spread. Cells adopt a special ubiquitination code to protect against viral infection, while ORF7a manipulates and exploits the ubiquitin system to eliminate host cells' effect on apoptosis and redirect cellular pathways in favor of virus survival.