Coronavirus IBV-induced membrane fusion occurs at near-neutral pH

Effect of Ultraviolet Light C (UV-C) Radiation Generated by Semiconductor Light Sources on Human Beta-Coronaviruses' Inactivation

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has completely disrupted people’s lives. All over the world, many restrictions and precautions have been introduced to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Ultraviolet C (UV-C) radiation is widely used to disinfect rooms, surfaces, and medical tools; however, this paper presents novel results obtained for modern UV-C light-emitting diodes (LEDs), examining their effect on inhibiting the multiplication of viruses. The main goal of the work was to investigate how to most effectively use UV-C LEDs to inactivate viruses. We showed that UV-C radiation operating at a 275 nm wavelength is optimal for germicidal effectiveness in a time exposure (25−48 s) study: >3 log-reduction with the Kärber method and >6 log-reduction with UV spectrophotometry were noted. We used real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to reliably estimate virus infectivity reduction after 275 nm UV-C disinfection. The relative quantification (RQ) of infectious particles detected after 40−48 s distinctly decreased. The irradiated viral RNAs were underexpressed compared to the untreated control virial amplicon (estimated as RQ = 1). In conclusion, this work provides the first experimental data on 275 nm UV-C in the inactivation of human coronavirus OC43 (HoV-OC43), showing the most potent germicidal effect without hazardous effect.

Known Cellular and Receptor Interactions of Animal and Human Coronaviruses: A Review

This article aims to review all currently known interactions between animal and human coronaviruses and their cellular receptors. Over the past 20 years, three novel coronaviruses have emerged that have caused severe disease in humans, including SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2); therefore, a deeper understanding of coronavirus host-cell interactions is essential. Receptor-binding is the first stage in coronavirus entry prior to replication and can be altered by minor changes within the spike protein-the coronavirus surface glycoprotein responsible for the recognition of cell-surface receptors. The recognition of receptors by coronaviruses is also a major determinant in infection, tropism, and pathogenesis and acts as a key target for host-immune surveillance and other potential intervention strategies. We aim to highlight the need for a continued in-depth understanding of this subject area following on from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with the possibility for more zoonotic transmission events. We also acknowledge the need for more targeted research towards glycan-coronavirus interactions as zoonotic spillover events from animals to humans, following an alteration in glycan-binding capability, have been well-documented for other viruses such as Influenza A.

Antiviral Cystine Knot α-Amylase Inhibitors from Alstonia scholaris

Cystine knot α-amylase inhibitors are cysteine-rich, proline-rich peptides found in the Amaranthaceae and Apocynaceae plant species. They are characterized by a pseudocyclic backbone with two to four prolines and three disulfides arranged in a knotted motif. Similar to other knottins, cystine knot α-amylase inhibitors are highly resistant to degradation by heat and protease treatments. Thus far, only the α-amylase inhibition activity has been described for members of this family. Here, we show that cystine knot α-amylase inhibitors named alstotides discovered from the Alstonia scholaris plant of the Apocynaceae family display antiviral activity. The alstotides (As1-As4) were characterized by both proteomic and genomic methods. All four alsotides are novel, heat-stable and enzyme-stable and contain 30 residues. NMR determination of As1 and As4 structures reveals their conserved structural fold and the presence of one or more cis-proline bonds, characteristics shared by other cystine knot α-amylase inhibitors. Genomic analysis showed that they contain a three-domain precursor, an arrangement common to other knottins. We also showed that alstotides are antiviral and cell-permeable to inhibit the early phase of infectious bronchitis virus and Dengue infection, in addition to their ability to inhibit α-amylase. Taken together, our results expand membership of cystine knot α-amylase inhibitors in the Apocynaceae family and their bioactivity, functional promiscuity that could be exploited as leads in developing therapeutics.

Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus induces apoptosis in a porcine kidney cell line via caspase-dependent pathways

Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis is an acute, highly contagious disease in piglets that is caused by the porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV). However, the pathogenesis of PHEV and the relationship between PHEV and the host cells are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated whether the PHEV-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) was caused by apoptosis. Replication of PHEV in a porcine kidney-derived cell line (PK-15 cells) caused an extensive CPE, leading to the destruction of the entire monolayer and the death of the infected cells. Staining with Hoechst 33,342 revealed morphological changes in the nuclei and chromatin fragmentation. In addition, PHEV caused DNA fragmentation detectable by agarose gel electrophoresis 48h post-infection, increasing with the incubation time. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased with the incubation time and reached a maximum at 96h post-infection, as determined using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy of cells that were stained with annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI). Moreover, as is commonly observed for coronavirus infections of other animals, the activities of the effecter caspase, caspase-3, and the initiator caspases, caspase-8 and caspase-9, which are representative factors in the death receptor-mediated apoptotic pathway and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, respectively, were increased in PHEV-infected PK-15 cells. Moreover, the tripeptide pan-ICE (caspase) inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK blocked PHEV-induced apoptosis but did not have an effect on virus production by 96h post-infection. These results suggested that PHEV induces apoptosis in PK-15 cells via a caspase-dependent pathway. Apoptotic death of infected cells is detrimental to animals because it causes cell and tissue destruction. Although the pathological characteristics of PHEV are largely unknown, apoptosis may be the pathological basis of the lesions resulting from PHEV infection.

Quantitative proteomics using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture reveals changes in the cytoplasmic, nuclear, and nucleolar proteomes in Vero cells infected with the coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus

Virus-host interactions involve complex interplay between viral and host factors, rendering them an ideal target for proteomic analysis. Here we detail a high throughput quantitative proteomics analysis of Vero cells infected with the coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a positive strand RNA virus that replicates in the cytoplasm. Stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) was used in conjunction with LC-MS/MS to identify and quantify 1830 cellular and two viral proteins from IBV-infected cells. Fractionation of cells into cytoplasmic, nuclear, and nucleolar extracts was used to reduce sample complexity and provide information on the trafficking of proteins between the different compartments. Each fraction showed a proportion of proteins exhibiting >or=2-fold changes in abundance. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that proteins that changed in response to infection could be grouped into different functional categories. These included proteins regulated by NF-kappaB- and AP-1-dependent pathways and proteins involved in the cytoskeleton and molecular motors. A luciferase-based reporter gene assay was used to validate the up-regulation of AP-1- and NF-kappaB-dependent transcription in IBV-infected cells and confirmed using immunofluorescence. Immunofluorescence was used to validate changes in the subcellular localization of vimentin and myosin VI in IBV-infected cells. The proteomics analysis also confirmed the presence of the viral nucleocapsid protein as localizing in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and nucleolus and the viral membrane protein in the cytoplasmic fraction. This research is the first application of SILAC to study total host cell proteome changes in response to positive sense RNA virus infection and illustrates the versatility of this technique as applied to infectious disease research.

Differential role for low pH and cathepsin-mediated cleavage of the viral spike protein during entry of serotype II feline coronaviruses

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a terminal disease of cats caused by systemic infection with a feline coronavirus (FCoV). FCoV biotypes that cause FIP are designated feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), and are distinguished by their ability to infect macrophages and monocytes. Antigenically similar to their virulent counterparts are FCoV biotypes designated feline enteric coronavirus (FECV), which usually cause only mild enteritis and are unable to efficiently infect macrophages and monocytes. The FCoV spike protein mediates viral entry into the host cell and has previously been shown to determine the distinct tropism exhibited by certain isolates of FIPV and FECV, however, the molecular mechanism underlying viral pathogenesis has yet to be determined. Here we show that the FECV strain WSU 79-1683 (FECV-1683) is highly dependent on host cell cathepsin B and cathepsin L activity for entry into the host cell, as well as on the low pH of endocytic compartments. In addition, both cathepsin B and cathepsin L are able to induce a specific cleavage event in the FECV-1683 spike protein. In contrast, host cell entry by the FIPV strains WSU 79-1146 (FIPV-1146) and FIPV-DF2 proceeds independently of cathepsin L activity and low pH, but is still highly dependent on cathepsin B activity. In the case of FIPV-1146 and FIPV-DF2, infection of primary feline monocytes was also dependent on host cell cathepsin B activity, indicating that host cell cathepsins may play a role in the distinct tropisms displayed by different feline coronavirus biotypes.

Equine coronavirus induces apoptosis in cultured cells

Equine coronavirus (ECoV) was first isolated from a diarrheic foal and was found genetically similar to group II coronaviruses. However, its pathological characteristics were not adequately investigated. In our preliminary in vitro investigation, ECoV-induced cell death was observed in bovine kidney-derived MDBK cells. Based on this finding, we investigated whether the ECoV-induced CPE was apoptosis. Following ECoV infection, MDBK cells showed morphological changes such as cell rounding and detachment from the culture surface. Moreover, syncytium formation was observed as the other type of cytopathic effect in ECoV infection. Morphologic and biochemical features of apoptosis, such as nuclear fragmentation and DNA ladder formation, were also detected in ECoV-infected cells. Moreover, as is commonly observed in coronavirus infection in other animals, the activities of effecter caspases – caspase-3/7 – and initiator caspases – caspase-8 and caspase-9 – that are representative factors in the death receptor-mediated apoptotic pathway and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, respectively, were increased in ECoV-infected MDBK cells. Therefore, it was suggested that ECoV can induce apoptosis in MDBK cells via a caspase-dependent pathway. Apoptotic death of infected cells is detrimental because it causes cell and tissue destruction and inflammatory responses. Although the pathological characteristics of ECoV are largely unknown, apoptosis may be the pathological basis of lesions of the digestive system in ECoV infection.

The avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus undergoes direct low-pH-dependent fusion activation during entry into host cells

Coronaviruses are the causative agents of respiratory disease in humans and animals, including severe acute respiratory syndrome. Fusion of coronaviruses is generally thought to occur at neutral pH, although there is also evidence for a role of acidic endosomes during entry of a variety of coronaviruses. Therefore, the molecular basis of coronavirus fusion during entry into host cells remains incompletely defined. Here, we examined coronavirus-cell fusion and entry employing the avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Virus entry into cells was inhibited by acidotropic bases and by other inhibitors of pH-dependent endocytosis. We carried out fluorescence-dequenching fusion assays of R18-labeled virions and show that for IBV, coronavirus-cell fusion occurs in a low-pH-dependent manner, with a half-maximal rate of fusion occurring at pH 5.5. Fusion was reduced, but still occurred, at lower temperatures (20 degrees C). We observed no effect of inhibitors of endosomal proteases on the fusion event. These data are the first direct measure of virus-cell fusion for any coronavirus and demonstrate that the coronavirus IBV employs a direct, low-pH-dependent virus-cell fusion activation reaction. We further show that IBV was not inactivated, and fusion was unaffected, by prior exposure to pH 5.0 buffer. Virions also showed evidence of reversible conformational changes in their surface proteins, indicating that aspects of the fusion reaction may be reversible in nature.

Development of a safe neutralization assay for SARS-CoV and characterization of S-glycoprotein

The etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been identified as a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV. Similar to other coronaviruses, spike (S)-glycoprotein of the virus interacts with a cellular receptor and mediates membrane fusion to allow viral entry into susceptible target cells. Accordingly, S-protein plays an important role in virus infection cycle and is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies. To begin to understand its biochemical and immunological properties, we expressed both full-length and ectodomain of the protein in various primate cells. Our results show that the protein has an electrophoretic mobility of about 160–170 kDa. The protein is glycosylated with high mannose and/or hybrid oligosaccharides, which account for approximately 30 kDa of the apparent protein mass. The detection of S-protein by immunoassays was difficult using human convalescent sera, suggesting that the protein may not elicit strong humoral immune response in virus-infected patients. We were able to pseudotype murine leukemia virus particles with S-protein and produce SARS pseudoviruses. Pseudoviruses infected Vero E6 cells in a pH-independent manner and the infection could be specifically inhibited by convalescent sera. Consistent with low levels of antibodies against S-protein, neutralizing activity was weak with 50% neutralization titers ranging between 1:15 to 1:25. To facilitate quantifying pseudovirus-infected cells, which are stained blue with X-Gal, we devised an automated procedure using an ELISPOT analyzer. The high-throughput capacity of this procedure and the safety of using SARS pseudoviruses should make possible large-scale analyses of neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV.

The molecular biology of coronaviruses

This chapter discusses the manipulation of clones of coronavirus and of complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of defective-interfering (DI) RNAs to study coronavirus RNA replication, transcription, recombination, processing and transport of proteins, virion assembly, identification of cell receptors for coronaviruses, and processing of the polymerase. The nature of the coronavirus genome is nonsegmented, single-stranded, and positive-sense RNA. Its size ranges from 27 to 32 kb, which is significantly larger when compared with other RNA viruses. The gene encoding the large surface glycoprotein is up to 4.4 kb, encoding an imposing trimeric, highly glycosylated protein. This soars some 20 nm above the virion envelope, giving the virus the appearance-with a little imagination-of a crown or coronet. Coronavirus research has contributed to the understanding of many aspects of molecular biology in general, such as the mechanism of RNA synthesis, translational control, and protein transport and processing. It remains a treasure capable of generating unexpected insights.

The molecular biology of coronaviruses

This chapter discusses the manipulation of clones of coronavirus and of complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of defective-interfering (DI) RNAs to study coronavirus RNA replication, transcription, recombination, processing and transport of proteins, virion assembly, identification of cell receptors for coronaviruses, and processing of the polymerase. The nature of the coronavirus genome is nonsegmented, single-stranded, and positive-sense RNA. Its size ranges from 27 to 32 kb, which is significantly larger when compared with other RNA viruses. The gene encoding the large surface glycoprotein is up to 4.4 kb, encoding an imposing trimeric, highly glycosylated protein. This soars some 20 nm above the virion envelope, giving the virus the appearance-with a little imagination-of a crown or coronet. Coronavirus research has contributed to the understanding of many aspects of molecular biology in general, such as the mechanism of RNA synthesis, translational control, and protein transport and processing. It remains a treasure capable of generating unexpected insights.

Low-pH-induced fusion of Vero cells infected with Junin virus

Junin virus (JV) infected Vero cells were used to investigate virus capacity to induce cell-cell fusion. Polykaryocyte formation due to JV was found to be pH and temperature-dependent. A reduced fusion activity was detected on BHK-21 cells. Different JV-strains exhibited a similar extent and pH dependence of their fusion activity. Neutralizing antibodies against the main viral glycoprotein (GP38) inhibited syncytium production and GP38 conformational changes in response to acid treatment were detected by an immunoprecipitation assay.