Circulating cholesterol fuels SARS-CoV-2 replication via ORF3a.
High levels of "bad" cholesterol increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and are also linked to more severe COVID-19, though the reason has been unclear. We show that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) directly enhances SARS-CoV-2 RNA replication, especially in the Beta variant. The viral accessory protein ORF3a is both...