Landscape of human factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection identified by a genome-wide RNAi screening

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can cause acute respiratory distress and multiorgan failure. Finding human host factors that are essential for SARS-CoV-2 infection could facilitate formulation of treatment strategies. Herein, using a human kidney cell line—HK-2—that is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, we performed a genome-wide RNAi screening and identified virus dependency factors which play regulatory roles in biological pathways linked to clinical manifestations that are associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection.