Essentiality and dynamic expression of the human tRNA pool during viral infection (opens in new tab)

Human viruses rely on host translation resources, including the cellular tRNA pool, because they lack tRNA genes. Using tRNA sequencing, we profiled mature tRNAs during infections with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and SARS-CoV-2. HCMV-induced alterations in mature tRNA levels were predominantly virus-driven, with minimal influence from the cellular immune response. Certain post-transcriptional modifications, correlated with tRNA stability, were actively manipulated by HCMV. By contrast, SARS-...