According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, SARS-CoV-2 infection changes the functioning of host cell RNA. In the study carried out by researchers from the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil, it was revealed that infection by SARS-CoV-2 increased the level of m6a (N6-methyladenosine), a type of methylation, in host cells in comparison to non-infected cells.

Methylation is a biochemical modification that involves the addition of a methyl group to a substrate with the help of enzymes capable of transferring part of one molecule to another, resulting in changes in the behavior of proteins, enzymes, hormones, and genes. The researchers explained that methylation has two functions in viruses. It regulates protein expression, and it defends the virus against the action of interferon, a potent antiviral substance produced by the host organism.

In the study, they discovered that the virus used cell enzymes for its methylation, producing evolutionary pressure for the adaptation of viral DRACH sequences so that they became more similar to cell sequences. Hence, the viral strains that have adapted to the methylation process can escape interferon successfully. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/covid-infection-changes-genetic-material-of-cells-study-449632 )