Uridine cytidine kinases govern molnupiravir bioactivation and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Huazhang Shu; Julian M. Ludäscher; Sushma Sharma; Seher Alam; Lilian Frank; Emma Scaletti Hutchinson; Marianna Tampere; Chloé Lévêque; André B.P. van Kuilenburg; Nicholas C.K. Valerie; Mikael Altun; Andrei Chabes; Pål Stenmark; Sean G. Rudd; Si Min Zhang

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1014225

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Uridine cytidine kinases govern molnupiravir bioactivation and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Huazhang Shu,

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft

Current address: Copenhagen Centre for Glycocalyx Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Affiliation Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Julian M. Ludäscher,

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation

Affiliation Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Sushma Sharma,

Roles Investigation

Affiliation Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
⨯
Seher Alam,

Roles Investigation

Affiliations Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institutet Huddinge, Huddinge, Sweden, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
⨯
Lilian Frank,

Roles Investigation

Affiliation Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Emma Scaletti Hutchinson,

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Supervision, Writing – original draft

Affiliation Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Marianna Tampere,

Roles Investigation, Project administration

Affiliations Department of Oncology-Pathology, Precision Cancer Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Chloé Lévêque,

Roles Investigation

Affiliation Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
André B.P. van Kuilenburg,

Roles Resources, Writing – original draft

Affiliations Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
⨯
Nicholas C.K. Valerie,

Roles Resources, Supervision, Writing – original draft

Affiliations Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institutet Huddinge, Huddinge, Sweden, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
⨯
Mikael Altun,

Roles Resources, Supervision

Affiliations Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institutet Huddinge, Huddinge, Sweden, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
⨯
Andrei Chabes,

Roles Funding acquisition, Methodology, Resources, Supervision

Affiliation Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
⨯
Pål Stenmark ,

Roles Formal analysis, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing – original draft

* E-mail: simin.zhang@scilifelab.se (SMZ); sean.rudd@scilifelab.se (SGR); stenmark@dbb.su.se (PS)

Affiliation Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Sean G. Rudd ,

Roles Funding acquisition, Resources, Supervision, Writing – original draft

* E-mail: simin.zhang@scilifelab.se (SMZ); sean.rudd@scilifelab.se (SGR); stenmark@dbb.su.se (PS)

Affiliation Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
⨯
Si Min Zhang

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft

* E-mail: simin.zhang@scilifelab.se (SMZ); sean.rudd@scilifelab.se (SGR); stenmark@dbb.su.se (PS)

Affiliation Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7763-603X

⨯

Uridine cytidine kinases govern molnupiravir bioactivation and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Huazhang Shu,
Julian M. Ludäscher,
Sushma Sharma,
Seher Alam,
Lilian Frank,
Emma Scaletti Hutchinson,
Marianna Tampere,
Chloé Lévêque,
André B.P. van Kuilenburg,
Nicholas C.K. Valerie

Published: May 29, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014225

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