Lai CW, Chan ZR, Yang DG, Lo WH, Lai YK, Chang MDT, Hu YC. Accelerated induction of apoptosis in insect cells by baculovirus-expressed SARS-CoV membrane protein.
FEBS Lett 2006;
580:3829-34. [PMID:
16797548 PMCID:
PMC7094299 DOI:
10.1016/j.febslet.2006.06.003]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2006] [Accepted: 06/01/2006] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
It has been shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome‐associated coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) 3a and 7a proteins, but not membrane (M) protein, induce apoptosis in mammalian cells. Upon expression of SARS‐CoV M protein using the baculovirus/insect cell expression system, however, we found that the expressed M protein triggered accelerated apoptosis in insect cells, as characterized by rapid cell death, elevated cytotoxicity, cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation. Conversely, the M protein expressed in mammalian cells did not induce apoptosis. This is the first report describing the induction of apoptosis by SARS‐CoV M protein in animal cells and possible implications are discussed.
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