Research Article
The Antiviral Role of PML-NBs Against SARS-COV-2 (Coronavirus) A Study Conducted on Patients in Basrah Governorate
- By Sahira Yaqoot Rwayeh Al-Asadi - 22 Oct 2026
- Infectious, Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Pages: 20 - 26
- https://doi.org/10.58612/infectious323
- Received: 05.09.2026; Accepted: 16.10.2026; Published: 22.10.2026
Abstract
Background: Viral infection, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection, induces an immune response to restrict viral replication, which causes a lesion to the targeted body’s tissue cells. Objective: To measure the expression levels of the PML and Daxx genes, which are important constituents of the PML nuclear bodies, in patients who have been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in comparison to that of the healthy subjects. Methodology: Blood samples from 104 subjects who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and 68 uninfected controls were obtained from laboratories in Basra, Iraq. The diagnosis of infection was made using qPCR followed by RNA isolation to check the levels of PML and Daxx genes. Results: The gene expression of the PML protein was low in infected samples compared to the control by 9.5 times, while the gene expression of the Daxx protein showed the opposite result, as its expression was increased in infected samples compared to the control by 3.7 folds. The findings indicated a 9.5 fold reduction in PML, suggesting that the viral action is targeting the antiproliferative function of PML. Daxx, on the other hand, showed an increase in its expression by 3.7-fold. Conclusion: This indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection has a varying effect on the expression of genes involved in the immune response performed by PML-NBs in hematopoietic cells of infected individuals, an invitation for further studies to understand the mechanism in which the virus takes control of the host’s intrinsic immunity.
Authors affiliation:
Sahira Yaqoot Rwayeh Al-Asadi (ORCID): Basrah Education Directorate, Ministry of Education, Basrah, Iraq.
How To Cite: S. Y. R. Al-Asadi. The Antiviral Role of PML-NBs Against SARS-COV-2 (Coronavirus) A study Conducted on Patients in Basrah Governorate. Infectious, 3(2):20–26, 2026. https://doi.org/10.58612/infectious323