STAT1 and viral infectious disease: Additional investigations were carried out on the cellular proteins that interact with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), finding that importin α/β1-heterodimer (IMPα/β1) transports viral nucleocapsid and ORF6 proteins to the nucleus where it diminishes the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)-mediated host response to viral infection [6,17-20].