1
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Jayme G, Liu JL, Galvez JH, Reiling SJ, Celikkol S, N’Guessan A, Lee S, Chen SH, Tsitouras A, Sanchez-Quete F, Maere T, Goitom E, Hachad M, Mercier E, Loeb SK, Vanrolleghem PA, Dorner S, Delatolla R, Shapiro BJ, Frigon D, Ragoussis J, Snutch TP. Combining Short- and Long-Read Sequencing Technologies to Identify SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Wastewater. Viruses 2024; 16:1495. [PMID: 39339971 PMCID: PMC11437403 DOI: 10.3390/v16091495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2024] [Revised: 09/14/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater was used to track the evolution and emergence of variant lineages and gauge infection levels in the community, informing appropriate public health responses without relying solely on clinical testing. As more sublineages were discovered, it increased the difficulty in identifying distinct variants in a mixed population sample, particularly those without a known lineage. Here, we compare the sequencing technology from Illumina and from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, in order to determine their efficacy at detecting variants of differing abundance, using 248 wastewater samples from various Quebec and Ontario cities. Our study used two analytical approaches to identify the main variants in the samples: the presence of signature and marker mutations and the co-occurrence of signature mutations within the same amplicon. We observed that each sequencing method detected certain variants at different frequencies as each method preferentially detects mutations of distinct variants. Illumina sequencing detected more mutations with a predominant lineage that is in low abundance across the population or unknown for that time period, while Nanopore sequencing had a higher detection rate of mutations that are predominantly found in the high abundance B.1.1.7 (Alpha) lineage as well as a higher sequencing rate of co-occurring mutations in the same amplicon. We present a workflow that integrates short-read and long-read sequencing to improve the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variant lineages in mixed population samples, such as wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Jayme
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Ju-Ling Liu
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Jose Hector Galvez
- Canadian Centre for Computational Genomics, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Sarah Julia Reiling
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Sukriye Celikkol
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Arnaud N’Guessan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, QC H1T 1C8, Canada
| | - Sally Lee
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Shu-Huang Chen
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Alexandra Tsitouras
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | | | - Thomas Maere
- modelEAU, Département de génie civil et de génie des eaux, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Eyerusalem Goitom
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Mounia Hachad
- Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada
| | - Elisabeth Mercier
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | | | - Peter A. Vanrolleghem
- modelEAU, Département de génie civil et de génie des eaux, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Sarah Dorner
- Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada
| | - Robert Delatolla
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - B. Jesse Shapiro
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Dominic Frigon
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Jiannis Ragoussis
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0E9, Canada
| | - Terrance P. Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
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2
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Pather S, Charpentier N, van den Ouweland F, Rizzi R, Finlayson A, Salisch N, Muik A, Lindemann C, Khanim R, Abduljawad S, Smith ER, Gurwith M, Chen RT. A Brighton Collaboration standardized template with key considerations for a benefit-risk assessment for the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Vaccine 2024; 42:126165. [PMID: 39197299 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
The Brighton Collaboration Benefit-Risk Assessment of VAccines by TechnolOgy (BRAVATO) Working Group evaluates the safety and other key features of new platform technology vaccines, including nucleic acid (RNA and DNA) vaccines. This manuscript uses the BRAVATO template to report the key considerations for a benefit-risk assessment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA-based vaccine BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®, or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) including the subsequent Original/Omicron BA.1, Original/Omicron BA.4-5 and Omicron XBB.1.5 variant-adapted vaccines developed by BioNTech and Pfizer to protect against COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Initial Emergency Use Authorizations or conditional Marketing Authorizations for the original BNT162b2 vaccine were granted based upon a favorable benefit-risk assessment taking into account clinical safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy data, which was subsequently reconfirmed for younger age groups, and by real world evidence data. In addition, the favorable benefit-risk assessment was maintained for the bivalent vaccines, developed against newly arising SARS-CoV-2 variants, with accumulating clinical trial data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Emily R Smith
- Brighton Collaboration, a program of the Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA.
| | - Marc Gurwith
- Brighton Collaboration, a program of the Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Robert T Chen
- Brighton Collaboration, a program of the Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA
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3
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Kung YA, Chuang CH, Chen YC, Yang HP, Li HC, Chen CL, Janapatla RP, Chen CJ, Shih SR, Chiu CH. Worldwide SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection: Emerging sub-variants and future vaccination perspectives. J Formos Med Assoc 2024:S0929-6646(24)00389-9. [PMID: 39179492 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2024.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has sparked widespread concern globally, particularly with the Omicron variant and its sub-lineages emerging as the predominant cause of infection for nearly two years. Taiwan's successful containment of COVID-19, underscored by broad vaccine coverage, the utilization of anti-viral therapeutics, and timely response strategies, has resulted in reduced excess mortality. Moreover, there is a crucial need for a phased exit strategy, balancing efforts to curtail disease transmission with the mitigation of socioeconomic impacts from rigorous measures. In this review, we examined the evolution and the epidemiological landscape of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron sub-variants in Taiwan as well as other countries of the world. We also critically evaluated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against various SARS-CoV-2 variants. Additionally, we addressed the advantages of heterologous immunization strategies, fluctuations in neutralizing antibody titers, and complexities in establishing protective correlates among swiftly mutating viral variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-An Kung
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hsien Chuang
- Department of Pediatrics, St. Paul's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Chen
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Ping Yang
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chieh Li
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chyi-Liang Chen
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | | | - Chin-Jung Chen
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Ru Shih
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Cheng-Hsun Chiu
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
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4
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Ko SH, Radecki P, Belinky F, Bhiman JN, Meiring S, Kleynhans J, Amoako D, Guerra Canedo V, Lucas M, Kekana D, Martinson N, Lebina L, Everatt J, Tempia S, Bylund T, Rawi R, Kwong PD, Wolter N, von Gottberg A, Cohen C, Boritz EA. Rapid intra-host diversification and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in advanced HIV infection. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7240. [PMID: 39174553 PMCID: PMC11341811 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51539-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have linked the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic variants to persistent infections in people with immunocompromising conditions, but the processes responsible for these observations are incompletely understood. Here we use high-throughput, single-genome amplification and sequencing (HT-SGS) to sequence SARS-CoV-2 spike genes from people with HIV (PWH, n = 22) and people without HIV (PWOH, n = 25). In PWOH and PWH with CD4 T cell counts (i.e., CD4 counts) ≥ 200 cells/μL, we find that most SARS-CoV-2 genomes sampled in each person share one spike sequence. By contrast, in people with advanced HIV infection (i.e., CD4 counts < 200 cells/μL), HT-SGS reveals a median of 46 distinct linked groupings of spike mutations per person. Elevated intra-host spike diversity in people with advanced HIV infection is detected immediately after COVID-19 symptom onset, and early intra-host spike diversity predicts SARS-CoV-2 shedding duration among PWH. Analysis of longitudinal timepoints reveals rapid fluctuations in spike sequence populations, replacement of founder sequences by groups of new haplotypes, and positive selection at functionally important residues. These findings demonstrate remarkable intra-host genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in advanced HIV infection and suggest that adaptive intra-host SARS-CoV-2 evolution in this setting may contribute to the emergence of new variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Hee Ko
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pierce Radecki
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Frida Belinky
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jinal N Bhiman
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- SAMRC Antibody Immunity Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Susan Meiring
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Daniel Amoako
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Integrative Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vanessa Guerra Canedo
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Margaret Lucas
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dikeledi Kekana
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Neil Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for TB Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Josie Everatt
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tatsiana Bylund
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Reda Rawi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicole Wolter
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Cheryl Cohen
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Eli A Boritz
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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5
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Mata Calidonio J, Maddox AI, Hamad-Schifferli K. A novel immunoassay technique using principal component analysis for enhanced detection of emerging viral variants. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:3985-3995. [PMID: 39046406 DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00505h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Rapid diagnostics are critical infectious disease tools that are designed to detect a known biomarker using antibodies specific to that biomarker. However, a way to detect unknown disease variants has not yet been achieved in a paper test format. We describe here a route to make an adaptable paper immunoassay that can detect an unknown biomarker, demonstrating it on SARS-CoV-2 variants. The immunoassay repurposes cross reactive antibodies raised against the alpha variant. Gold nanoparticles of two different colors conjugated to two different antibodies create a colorimetric signal, and machine learning of the resulting colorimetric pattern is used to train the assay to discriminate between variants of alpha and Omicron BA.5. By using principal component analysis, the colorimetric test patterns can pick up and discriminate an unknown variant that it has not encountered before, Omicron BA.1. The test has an accuracy of 100% and a potential calculated discriminatory power of 900. We show that it can be used adaptively and that it can be used to pick up emerging variants without the need to raise new antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arianna I Maddox
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli
- Department of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
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6
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Zhang T, Wang Y, Teng X, Deng R, Li J. Preamplification-free viral RNA diagnostics with single-nucleotide resolution using MARVE, an origami paper-based colorimetric nucleic acid test. Nat Protoc 2024:10.1038/s41596-024-01022-x. [PMID: 39026122 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01022-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The evolution and mutation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are urgent concerns as they pose the risk of vaccine failure and increased viral transmission. However, affordable and scalable tools allowing rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants are not readily available, which impedes diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance. Here we present a colorimetric nucleic acid assay named MARVE (multiplexed, preamplification-free, single-nucleotide-resolved viral evolution) that is convenient to perform and yields single-nucleotide resolution. The assay integrates nucleic acid strand displacement reactions with enzymatic amplification to colorimetrically sense viral RNA using a metal ion-incorporated DNA probe (TEprobe). We provide detailed guidelines to design TEprobes for discriminating single-nucleotide variations in viral RNAs, and to fabricate a test paper for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Compared with other nucleic acid assays, our assay is preamplification-free, single-nucleotide-resolvable and results are visible via a color change. Besides, it is smartphone readable, multiplexed, quick and cheap ($0.30 per test). The protocol takes ~2 h to complete, from the design and preparation of the DNA probes and test papers (~1 h) to the detection of SARS-CoV-2 or its variants (30-45 min). The design of the TEprobes requires basic knowledge of molecular biology and familiarity with NUPACK or the Python programming language. The fabrication of the origami papers requires access to a wax printer using the CAD and PDF files provided or requires users to be familiar with AutoCAD to design new origami papers. The protocol is also applicable for designing assays to detect other pathogens and their variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Center for BioAnalytical Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Department of Respiration and Critical Care Medine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuxi Wang
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Department of Respiration and Critical Care Medine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xucong Teng
- Department of Chemistry, Center for BioAnalytical Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute of Life Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Ruijie Deng
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Department of Respiration and Critical Care Medine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Jinghong Li
- Department of Chemistry, Center for BioAnalytical Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Institute of Life Science and Technology, Beijing, China.
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7
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Zagórska A, Czopek A, Fryc M, Jończyk J. Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) as Anti-Coronavirus Agents. Biomolecules 2024; 14:797. [PMID: 39062511 PMCID: PMC11275247 DOI: 10.3390/biom14070797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is an essential enzyme that plays a critical part in the virus's life cycle, making it a significant target for developing antiviral drugs. The inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro has emerged as a promising approach for developing therapeutic agents to treat COVID-19. This review explores the structure of the Mpro protein and analyzes the progress made in understanding protein-ligand interactions of Mpro inhibitors. It focuses on binding kinetics, origin, and the chemical structure of these inhibitors. The review provides an in-depth analysis of recent clinical trials involving covalent and non-covalent inhibitors and emerging dual inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. By integrating findings from the literature and ongoing clinical trials, this review captures the current state of research into Mpro inhibitors, offering a comprehensive understanding of challenges and directions in their future development as anti-coronavirus agents. This information provides new insights and inspiration for medicinal chemists, paving the way for developing more effective Mpro inhibitors as novel COVID-19 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Zagórska
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland; (A.C.); (M.F.); (J.J.)
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8
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Murdocca M, Romeo I, Citro G, Latini A, Centofanti F, Bugatti A, Caccuri F, Caruso A, Ortuso F, Alcaro S, Sangiuolo F, Novelli G. A Dynamic and Effective Peptide-Based Strategy for Promptly Addressing Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:891. [PMID: 39065742 PMCID: PMC11279616 DOI: 10.3390/ph17070891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Genomic surveillance based on sequencing the entire genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 involves monitoring and studying genetic changes and variations in disease-causing organisms such as viruses and bacteria. By tracing the virus, it is possible to prevent epidemic spread in the community, ensuring a 'precision public health' strategy. A peptide-based design was applied to provide an efficacious strategy that is able to counteract any emerging viral variant of concern dynamically and promptly to affect the outcomes of a pandemic at an early stage while waiting for the production of the anti-variant-specific vaccine, which require longer times. The inhibition of the interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and one of the cellular receptors (DPP4) that its receptors routinely bind to infect human cells is an intriguing therapeutic approach to prevent the virus from entering human cells. Among the other modalities developed for this purpose, peptides surely offer unique advantages, including ease of synthesis, serum stability, low immunogenicity and toxicity, and small production and distribution chain costs. Here, we obtained a potent new inhibitor based on the rearrangement of a previously identified peptide that has been rationally designed on a cell dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) sequence, a ubiquitous membrane protein known to bind the RBD-SPIKE domain of the virus. This novel peptide (named DPP4-derived), conceived as an endogenous "drug", is capable of targeting the latest tested variants with a high affinity, reducing the VSV* DG-Fluc pseudovirus Omicron's infection capacity by up to 14%, as revealed by in vitro testing in human Calu-3 cells. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) confirmed the binding affinity of the new DPP4-derived peptide with Omicron variant RBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Murdocca
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Isabella Romeo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.R.); (F.O.); (S.A.)
- Net4Science Srl Academic Spin-Off, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Gennaro Citro
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Andrea Latini
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Federica Centofanti
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Antonella Bugatti
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.B.); (F.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Francesca Caccuri
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.B.); (F.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Arnaldo Caruso
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (A.B.); (F.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Francesco Ortuso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.R.); (F.O.); (S.A.)
- Net4Science Srl Academic Spin-Off, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Stefano Alcaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (I.R.); (F.O.); (S.A.)
- Net4Science Srl Academic Spin-Off, Università “Magna Græcia” di Catanzaro, Campus “S. Venuta”, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Federica Sangiuolo
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
| | - Giuseppe Novelli
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.M.); (G.C.); (A.L.); (F.C.); (G.N.)
- IRCCS Neuromed Mediterranean Neurological Institute, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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9
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Trende R, Darling TL, Gan T, Wang D, Boon AC. Barcoded SARS-CoV-2 viruses define the impact of time and route of transmission on the transmission bottleneck in a Syrian hamster model. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.08.597602. [PMID: 38915710 PMCID: PMC11195048 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.08.597602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
The transmission bottleneck, defined as the number of viruses that transmit from one host to infect another, is an important determinant of the rate of virus evolution and the level of immunity required to protect against virus transmission. Despite its importance, SARS-CoV-2's transmission bottleneck remains poorly characterized, in part due to a lack of quantitative measurement tools. To address this, we adapted a SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system to generate a pool of >200 isogenic SARS-CoV-2 viruses harboring specific 6-nucleotide barcodes inserted in ORF10, a non-translated ORF. We directly inoculated donor Syrian hamsters intranasally with this barcoded virus pool and exposed a paired naïve contact hamster to each donor. Following exposure, the nasal turbinates, trachea, and lungs were collected, viral titers were measured, and the number of barcodes in each tissue were enumerated to quantify the transmission bottleneck. The duration and route (airborne, direct contact, and fomite) of exposure were varied to assess their impact on the transmission bottleneck. In airborne-exposed hamsters, the transmission bottleneck increased with longer exposure durations. We found that direct contact exposure produced the largest transmission bottleneck (average 27 BCs), followed by airborne exposure (average 16 BCs) then fomite exposure (average 8 BCs). Interestingly, we detected unique BCs in both the upper and lower respiratory tract of contact animals from all routes of exposure, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect hamster lungs. Altogether, these findings highlight the utility of barcoded viruses as tools to rigorously study virus transmission. In the future, barcoded SARS-CoV-2 will strengthen studies of immune factors that influence virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed Trende
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tamarand L. Darling
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tianyu Gan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David Wang
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Adrianus C.M. Boon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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10
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Karpuj MV, Shaytov DR, Shemer-Avni Y, Gideon M, Frenkel ZM, Sivan S. Comparative Bioinformatic Analysis Reveals Conserved Regions in SARS-CoV-2 Genome for RAPID Pandemic Response. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5764. [PMID: 38891951 PMCID: PMC11172030 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
In the face of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, characterized by the virus's rapid mutation rates, developing timely and targeted therapeutic and diagnostic interventions presents a significant challenge. This study utilizes bioinformatic analyses to pinpoint conserved genomic regions within SARS-CoV-2, offering a strategic advantage in the fight against this and future pathogens. Our approach has enabled the creation of a diagnostic assay that is not only rapid, reliable, and cost-effective but also possesses a remarkable capacity to detect a wide array of current and prospective variants with unmatched precision. The significance of our findings lies in the demonstration that focusing on these conserved genomic sequences can significantly enhance our preparedness for and response to emerging infectious diseases. By providing a blueprint for the development of versatile diagnostic tools and therapeutics, this research paves the way for a more effective global pandemic response strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Viviana Karpuj
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel 2161002, Israel
| | - D. R. Shaytov
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel 2161002, Israel
| | - Yonat Shemer-Avni
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
| | - Michael Gideon
- Department of Neurosurgery, Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
| | - Zakharia M. Frenkel
- Department of Software Engineering, Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel 2161002, Israel
| | - Sarit Sivan
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel 2161002, Israel
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11
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Ose NJ, Campitelli P, Modi T, Kazan IC, Kumar S, Ozkan SB. Some mechanistic underpinnings of molecular adaptations of SARS-COV-2 spike protein by integrating candidate adaptive polymorphisms with protein dynamics. eLife 2024; 12:RP92063. [PMID: 38713502 PMCID: PMC11076047 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
We integrate evolutionary predictions based on the neutral theory of molecular evolution with protein dynamics to generate mechanistic insight into the molecular adaptations of the SARS-COV-2 spike (S) protein. With this approach, we first identified candidate adaptive polymorphisms (CAPs) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein and assessed the impact of these CAPs through dynamics analysis. Not only have we found that CAPs frequently overlap with well-known functional sites, but also, using several different dynamics-based metrics, we reveal the critical allosteric interplay between SARS-CoV-2 CAPs and the S protein binding sites with the human ACE2 (hACE2) protein. CAPs interact far differently with the hACE2 binding site residues in the open conformation of the S protein compared to the closed form. In particular, the CAP sites control the dynamics of binding residues in the open state, suggesting an allosteric control of hACE2 binding. We also explored the characteristic mutations of different SARS-CoV-2 strains to find dynamic hallmarks and potential effects of future mutations. Our analyses reveal that Delta strain-specific variants have non-additive (i.e., epistatic) interactions with CAP sites, whereas the less pathogenic Omicron strains have mostly additive mutations. Finally, our dynamics-based analysis suggests that the novel mutations observed in the Omicron strain epistatically interact with the CAP sites to help escape antibody binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas James Ose
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Paul Campitelli
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Tushar Modi
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - I Can Kazan
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Temple UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Department of Biology, Temple UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Center for Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz UniversityJeddahSaudi Arabia
| | - Sefika Banu Ozkan
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
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12
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Colson P, Chaudet H, Delerce J, Pontarotti P, Levasseur A, Fantini J, La Scola B, Devaux C, Raoult D. Role of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Infect 2024; 88:106150. [PMID: 38570164 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2024.106150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and large-scale genomic surveillance provided an exceptional opportunity to analyze mutations that appeared over three years in viral genomes. Here we studied mutations and their epidemic consequences for SARS-CoV-2 genomes from our center. METHODS We analyzed 61,397 SARS-CoV-2 genomes we sequenced from respiratory samples for genomic surveillance. Mutations frequencies were calculated using Nextclade, Microsoft Excel, and an in-house Python script. RESULTS A total of 22,225 nucleotide mutations were identified, 220 (1.0%) being each at the root of ≥836 genomes, classifying mutations as 'hyperfertile'. Two seeded the European pandemic: P323L in RNA polymerase, associated with an increased mutation rate, and D614G in spike that improved fitness. Most 'hyperfertile' mutations occurred in areas not predicted with increased virulence. Their mean number was 8±6 (0-22) per 1000 nucleotides per gene. They were 3.7-times more frequent in accessory than informational genes (13.8 versus 3.7/1000 nucleotides). Particularly, they were 4.1-times more frequent in ORF8 than in the RNA polymerase gene. Interestingly, stop codons were present in 97 positions, almost only in accessory genes, including ORF8 (21/100 codons). CONCLUSIONS most 'hyperfertile' mutations did not predict emergence of a new epidemic, and some were stop codons indicating the existence of so-named 'non-virulence' genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Colson
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Hervé Chaudet
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Vecteurs, Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (VITROME), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; French Armed Forces Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CESPA), Camp de Sainte Marthe, Marseille, France
| | - Jérémy Delerce
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Pontarotti
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-SNC5039, Marseille, France
| | - Anthony Levasseur
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Jacques Fantini
- "Aix-Marseille Université, INSERM UMR UA 16, Marseille, France
| | - Bernard La Scola
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 264 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Christian Devaux
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-SNC5039, Marseille, France
| | - Didier Raoult
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France.
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13
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Daviña-Núñez C, Pérez S, Cabrera-Alvargonzález JJ, Rincón-Quintero A, Treinta-Álvarez A, Godoy-Diz M, Suárez-Luque S, Regueiro-García B. Performance of amplicon and capture based next-generation sequencing approaches for the epidemiological surveillance of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0289188. [PMID: 38683803 PMCID: PMC11057745 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
To control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, healthcare systems have focused on ramping up their capacity for epidemiological surveillance through viral whole genome sequencing. In this paper, we tested the performance of two protocols of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid enrichment, an amplicon enrichment using different versions of the ARTIC primer panel and a hybrid-capture method using KAPA RNA Hypercap. We focused on the challenge of the Omicron variant sequencing, the advantages of automated library preparation and the influence of the bioinformatic analysis in the final consensus sequence. All 94 samples were sequenced using Illumina iSeq 100 and analysed with two bioinformatic pipelines: a custom-made pipeline and an Illumina-owned pipeline. We were unsuccessful in sequencing six samples using the capture enrichment due to low reads. On the other hand, amplicon dropout and mispriming caused the loss of mutation G21987A and the erroneous addition of mutation T15521A respectively using amplicon enrichment. Overall, we found high sequence agreement regardless of method of enrichment, bioinformatic pipeline or the use of automation for library preparation in eight different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Automation and the use of a simple app for bioinformatic analysis can simplify the genotyping process, making it available for more diagnostic facilities and increasing global vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Daviña-Núñez
- Microbiology and Infectology Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain
- Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Sonia Pérez
- Microbiology and Infectology Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain
- Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (CHUVI), SERGAS, Vigo, Spain
| | - Jorge Julio Cabrera-Alvargonzález
- Microbiology and Infectology Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain
- Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (CHUVI), SERGAS, Vigo, Spain
| | - Anniris Rincón-Quintero
- Microbiology and Infectology Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain
- Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (CHUVI), SERGAS, Vigo, Spain
| | - Ana Treinta-Álvarez
- Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (CHUVI), SERGAS, Vigo, Spain
| | - Montse Godoy-Diz
- Microbiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (CHUVI), SERGAS, Vigo, Spain
| | - Silvia Suárez-Luque
- Dirección Xeral de Saúde Pública, Xunta de Galicia, Consellería de Sanidade, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Benito Regueiro-García
- Microbiology and Infectology Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain
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14
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Santos JD, Sobral D, Pinheiro M, Isidro J, Bogaardt C, Pinto M, Eusébio R, Santos A, Mamede R, Horton DL, Gomes JP, Borges V. INSaFLU-TELEVIR: an open web-based bioinformatics suite for viral metagenomic detection and routine genomic surveillance. Genome Med 2024; 16:61. [PMID: 38659008 PMCID: PMC11044337 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01334-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Implementation of clinical metagenomics and pathogen genomic surveillance can be particularly challenging due to the lack of bioinformatics tools and/or expertise. In order to face this challenge, we have previously developed INSaFLU, a free web-based bioinformatics platform for virus next-generation sequencing data analysis. Here, we considerably expanded its genomic surveillance component and developed a new module (TELEVIR) for metagenomic virus identification. RESULTS The routine genomic surveillance component was strengthened with new workflows and functionalities, including (i) a reference-based genome assembly pipeline for Oxford Nanopore technologies (ONT) data; (ii) automated SARS-CoV-2 lineage classification; (iii) Nextclade analysis; (iv) Nextstrain phylogeographic and temporal analysis (SARS-CoV-2, human and avian influenza, monkeypox, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV A/B), as well as a "generic" build for other viruses); and (v) algn2pheno for screening mutations of interest. Both INSaFLU pipelines for reference-based consensus generation (Illumina and ONT) were benchmarked against commonly used command line bioinformatics workflows for SARS-CoV-2, and an INSaFLU snakemake version was released. In parallel, a new module (TELEVIR) for virus detection was developed, after extensive benchmarking of state-of-the-art metagenomics software and following up-to-date recommendations and practices in the field. TELEVIR allows running complex workflows, covering several combinations of steps (e.g., with/without viral enrichment or host depletion), classification software (e.g., Kaiju, Kraken2, Centrifuge, FastViromeExplorer), and databases (RefSeq viral genome, Virosaurus, etc.), while culminating in user- and diagnosis-oriented reports. Finally, to potentiate real-time virus detection during ONT runs, we developed findONTime, a tool aimed at reducing costs and the time between sample reception and diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS The accessibility, versatility, and functionality of INSaFLU-TELEVIR are expected to supply public and animal health laboratories and researchers with a user-oriented and pan-viral bioinformatics framework that promotes a strengthened and timely viral metagenomic detection and routine genomics surveillance. INSaFLU-TELEVIR is compatible with Illumina, Ion Torrent, and ONT data and is freely available at https://insaflu.insa.pt/ (online tool) and https://github.com/INSaFLU (code).
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Affiliation(s)
- João Dourado Santos
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniel Sobral
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pinheiro
- Institute of Biomedicine-iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana Isidro
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlijn Bogaardt
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK
| | - Miguel Pinto
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Eusébio
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - André Santos
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rafael Mamede
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Microbiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniel L Horton
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK
| | - João Paulo Gomes
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal
- Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vítor Borges
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal.
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15
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Ye Q, Wang H, Xu F, Zhang S, Zhang S, Yang Z, Zhang L. Co-Mutations and Possible Variation Tendency of the Spike RBD and Membrane Protein in SARS-CoV-2 by Machine Learning. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4662. [PMID: 38731879 PMCID: PMC11083383 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 variants capable of breakthrough infections have attracted global attention. These variants have significant mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and the membrane (M) protein, which may imply an enhanced ability to evade immune responses. In this study, an examination of co-mutations within the spike RBD and their potential correlation with mutations in the M protein was conducted. The EVmutation method was utilized to analyze the distribution of the mutations to elucidate the relationship between the mutations in the spike RBD and the alterations in the M protein. Additionally, the Sequence-to-Sequence Transformer Model (S2STM) was employed to establish mapping between the amino acid sequences of the spike RBD and M proteins, offering a novel and efficient approach for streamlined sequence analysis and the exploration of their interrelationship. Certain mutations in the spike RBD, G339D-S373P-S375F and Q493R-Q498R-Y505, are associated with a heightened propensity for inducing mutations at specific sites within the M protein, especially sites 3 and 19/63. These results shed light on the concept of mutational synergy between the spike RBD and M proteins, illuminating a potential mechanism that could be driving the evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushi Ye
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
| | - He Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
| | - Fanding Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Sijia Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
| | - Shengli Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
| | - Zhiwei Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (Q.Y.)
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16
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Minami S, Kotaki T, Sakai Y, Okamura S, Torii S, Ono C, Motooka D, Hamajima R, Nouda R, Nurdin JA, Yamasaki M, Kanai Y, Ebina H, Maeda Y, Okamoto T, Tachibana T, Matsuura Y, Kobayashi T. Vero cell-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strain shows increased viral growth through furin-mediated efficient spike cleavage. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0285923. [PMID: 38415690 PMCID: PMC10986611 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02859-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) utilizes several host proteases to cleave the spike (S) protein to enter host cells. SARS-CoV-2 S protein is cleaved into S1 and S2 subunits by furin, which is closely involved in the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2. However, the effects of the modulated protease cleavage activity due to S protein mutations on viral replication and pathogenesis remain unclear. Herein, we serially passaged two SARS-CoV-2 strains in Vero cells and characterized the cell-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strains in vitro and in vivo. The adapted strains showed high viral growth, effective S1/S2 cleavage of the S protein, and low pathogenicity compared with the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the viral growth and S1/S2 cleavage were enhanced by the combination of the Δ68-76 and H655Y mutations using recombinant SARS-CoV-2 strains generated by the circular polymerase extension reaction. The recombinant SARS-CoV-2 strain, which contained the mutation of the adapted strain, showed increased susceptibility to the furin inhibitor, suggesting that the adapted SARS-CoV-2 strain utilized furin more effectively than the wild-type strain. Pathogenicity was attenuated by infection with effectively cleaved recombinant SARS-CoV-2 strains, suggesting that the excessive cleavage of the S proteins decreases virulence. Finally, the high-growth-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strain could be used as the seed for a low-cost inactivated vaccine; immunization with this vaccine can effectively protect the host from SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings provide novel insights into the growth and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 in the evolution of cell-cell transmission. IMPORTANCE The efficacy of the S protein cleavage generally differs among the SARS-CoV-2 variants, resulting in distinct viral characteristics. The relationship between a mutation and the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the sequence of high-growth Vero cell-adapted SARS-CoV-2 and factors determining the enhancement of the growth of the adapted virus and confirmed the characteristics of the adapted strain by analyzing the recombinant SARS-CoV-2 strain. We successfully identified mutations Δ68-76 and H655Y, which enhance viral growth and the S protein cleavage by furin. Using recombinant viruses enabled us to conduct a virus challenge experiment in vivo. The pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 introduced with the mutations Δ68-76, H655Y, P812L, and Q853L was attenuated in hamsters, indicating the possibility of the attenuation of excessive cleaved SARS-CoV-2. These findings provide novel insights into the infectivity and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 strains, thereby significantly contributing to the field of virology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Minami
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Kotaki
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sakai
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinya Okamura
- Virus Vaccine Group, BIKEN Innovative Vaccine Research Alliance Laboratories, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shiho Torii
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Chikako Ono
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Rina Hamajima
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryotaro Nouda
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Jeffery A. Nurdin
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Moeko Yamasaki
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuta Kanai
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Ebina
- Virus Vaccine Group, BIKEN Innovative Vaccine Research Alliance Laboratories, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Advanced Modalities and DDS, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Maeda
- Laboratory of Viral Dynamism Research, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toru Okamoto
- Institute for Advanced Co-creation Studies, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Taro Tachibana
- Cell Engineering Corporation, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Advanced Modalities and DDS, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kobayashi
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Center for Advanced Modalities and DDS, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
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17
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Phan T, Zitzmann C, Chew KW, Smith DM, Daar ES, Wohl DA, Eron JJ, Currier JS, Hughes MD, Choudhary MC, Deo R, Li JZ, Ribeiro RM, Ke R, Perelson AS. Modeling the emergence of viral resistance for SARS-CoV-2 during treatment with an anti-spike monoclonal antibody. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011680. [PMID: 38635853 PMCID: PMC11060554 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
To mitigate the loss of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency use authorization was given to several anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in patients with a high risk of progressing to severe disease. Monoclonal antibodies used to treat SARS-CoV-2 target the spike protein of the virus and block its ability to enter and infect target cells. Monoclonal antibody therapy can thus accelerate the decline in viral load and lower hospitalization rates among high-risk patients with variants susceptible to mAb therapy. However, viral resistance has been observed, in some cases leading to a transient viral rebound that can be as large as 3-4 orders of magnitude. As mAbs represent a proven treatment choice for SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections, evaluation of treatment-emergent mAb resistance can help uncover underlying pathobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may also help in the development of the next generation of mAb therapies. Although resistance can be expected, the large rebounds observed are much more difficult to explain. We hypothesize replenishment of target cells is necessary to generate the high transient viral rebound. Thus, we formulated two models with different mechanisms for target cell replenishment (homeostatic proliferation and return from an innate immune response antiviral state) and fit them to data from persons with SARS-CoV-2 treated with a mAb. We showed that both models can explain the emergence of resistant virus associated with high transient viral rebounds. We found that variations in the target cell supply rate and adaptive immunity parameters have a strong impact on the magnitude or observability of the viral rebound associated with the emergence of resistant virus. Both variations in target cell supply rate and adaptive immunity parameters may explain why only some individuals develop observable transient resistant viral rebound. Our study highlights the conditions that can lead to resistance and subsequent viral rebound in mAb treatments during acute infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tin Phan
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Carolin Zitzmann
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Kara W. Chew
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Davey M. Smith
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Eric S. Daar
- Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, United States of America
| | - David A. Wohl
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joseph J. Eron
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Judith S. Currier
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Michael D. Hughes
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Manish C. Choudhary
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rinki Deo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Z. Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ruy M. Ribeiro
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Ruian Ke
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Alan S. Perelson
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America
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18
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Muneer A, Xie L, Xie X, Zhang F, Wrobel JA, Xiong Y, Yu X, Wang C, Gheorghe C, Wu P, Song J, Ming GL, Jin J, Song H, Shi PY, Chen X. Targeting G9a translational mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis for multifaceted therapeutics of COVID-19 and its sequalae. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.04.583415. [PMID: 38496599 PMCID: PMC10942352 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.04.583415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
By largely unknown mechanism(s), SARS-CoV-2 hijacks the host translation apparatus to promote COVID-19 pathogenesis. We report that the histone methyltransferase G9a noncanonically regulates viral hijacking of the translation machinery to bring about COVID-19 symptoms of hyperinflammation, lymphopenia, and blood coagulation. Chemoproteomic analysis of COVID-19 patient peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) identified enhanced interactions between SARS-CoV-2-upregulated G9a and distinct translation regulators, particularly the N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) RNA methylase METTL3. These interactions with translation regulators implicated G9a in translational regulation of COVID-19. Inhibition of G9a activity suppressed SARS-CoV-2 replication in human alveolar epithelial cells. Accordingly, multi-omics analysis of the same alveolar cells identified SARS-CoV-2-induced changes at the transcriptional, m 6 A-epitranscriptional, translational, and post-translational (phosphorylation or secretion) levels that were reversed by inhibitor treatment. As suggested by the aforesaid chemoproteomic analysis, these multi-omics-correlated changes revealed a G9a-regulated translational mechanism of COVID-19 pathogenesis in which G9a directs translation of viral and host proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2 replication and with dysregulation of host response. Comparison of proteomic analyses of G9a inhibitor-treated, SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, or ex vivo culture of patient PBMCs, with COVID-19 patient data revealed that G9a inhibition reversed the patient proteomic landscape that correlated with COVID-19 pathology/symptoms. These data also indicated that the G9a-regulated, inhibitor-reversed, translational mechanism outperformed G9a-transcriptional suppression to ultimately determine COVID-19 pathogenesis and to define the inhibitor action, from which biomarkers of serve symptom vulnerability were mechanistically derived. This cell line-to-patient conservation of G9a-translated, COVID-19 proteome suggests that G9a inhibitors can be used to treat patients with COVID-19, particularly patients with long-lasting COVID-19 sequelae.
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19
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Delgado S, Somovilla P, Ferrer-Orta C, Martínez-González B, Vázquez-Monteagudo S, Muñoz-Flores J, Soria ME, García-Crespo C, de Ávila AI, Durán-Pastor A, Gadea I, López-Galíndez C, Moran F, Lorenzo-Redondo R, Verdaguer N, Perales C, Domingo E. Incipient functional SARS-CoV-2 diversification identified through neural network haplotype maps. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317851121. [PMID: 38416684 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317851121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Since its introduction in the human population, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved into multiple clades, but the events in its intrahost diversification are not well understood. Here, we compare three-dimensional (3D) self-organized neural haplotype maps (SOMs) of SARS-CoV-2 from thirty individual nasopharyngeal diagnostic samples obtained within a 19-day interval in Madrid (Spain), at the time of transition between clades 19 and 20. SOMs have been trained with the haplotype repertoire present in the mutant spectra of the nsp12- and spike (S)-coding regions. Each SOM consisted of a dominant neuron (displaying the maximum frequency), surrounded by a low-frequency neuron cloud. The sequence of the master (dominant) neuron was either identical to that of the reference Wuhan-Hu-1 genome or differed from it at one nucleotide position. Six different deviant haplotype sequences were identified among the master neurons. Some of the substitutions in the neural clouds affected critical sites of the nsp12-nsp8-nsp7 polymerase complex and resulted in altered kinetics of RNA synthesis in an in vitro primer extension assay. Thus, the analysis has identified mutations that are relevant to modification of viral RNA synthesis, present in the mutant clouds of SARS-CoV-2 quasispecies. These mutations most likely occurred during intrahost diversification in several COVID-19 patients, during an initial stage of the pandemic, and within a brief time period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Delgado
- Departamento de Sistemas Informáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Sistemas Informáticos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28031, Spain
| | - Pilar Somovilla
- Microbes in Health and Welfare Program, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Cristina Ferrer-Orta
- Structural and Molecular Biology Department, Institut de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Brenda Martínez-González
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Sergi Vázquez-Monteagudo
- Structural and Molecular Biology Department, Institut de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | | | - María Eugenia Soria
- Microbes in Health and Welfare Program, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Carlos García-Crespo
- Microbes in Health and Welfare Program, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Ana Isabel de Ávila
- Microbes in Health and Welfare Program, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Antoni Durán-Pastor
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Ignacio Gadea
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Cecilio López-Galíndez
- Unidad de Virología Molecular, Laboratorio de Referencia e Investigación en retrovirus, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de salud Carlos III, Majadahonda 28222, Spain
| | - Federico Moran
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Center for Pathogen Genomics and Microbial Evolution, Northwestern University Havey Institute for Global Health, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Nuria Verdaguer
- Structural and Molecular Biology Department, Institut de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Celia Perales
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Esteban Domingo
- Microbes in Health and Welfare Program, Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
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20
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García-López R, Taboada B, Zárate S, Muñoz-Medina JE, Salas-Lais AG, Herrera-Estrella A, Boukadida C, Vazquez-Perez JA, Gómez-Gil B, Sanchez-Flores A, Arias CF. Exploration of low-frequency allelic variants of SARS-CoV-2 genomes reveals coinfections in Mexico occurred during periods of VOCs turnover. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001220. [PMID: 38512312 PMCID: PMC11004493 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
A total of 14 973 alleles in 29 661 sequenced samples collected between March 2021 and January 2023 by the Mexican Consortium for Genomic Surveillance (CoViGen-Mex) and collaborators were used to construct a thorough map of mutations of the Mexican SARS-CoV-2 genomic landscape containing Intra-Patient Minor Allelic Variants (IPMAVs), which are low-frequency alleles not ordinarily present in a genomic consensus sequence. This additional information proved critical in identifying putative coinfecting variants included alongside the most common variants, B.1.1.222, B.1.1.519, and variants of concern (VOCs) Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. A total of 379 coinfection events were recorded in the dataset (a rate of 1.28 %), resulting in the first such catalogue in Mexico. The most common putative coinfections occurred during the spread of Delta or after the introduction of Omicron BA.2 and its descendants. Coinfections occurred constantly during periods of variant turnover when more than one variant shared the same niche and high infection rate was observed, which was dependent on the local variants and time. Coinfections might occur at a higher frequency than customarily reported, but they are often ignored as only the consensus sequence is reported for lineage identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo García-López
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Blanca Taboada
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Selene Zárate
- Posgrado en Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José Esteban Muñoz-Medina
- Coordinación de Calidad de Insumos y Laboratorios Especializados, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Angel Gustavo Salas-Lais
- Coordinación de Calidad de Insumos y Laboratorios Especializados, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alfredo Herrera-Estrella
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad-Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Celia Boukadida
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Joel Armando Vazquez-Perez
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Enfermedades Emergentes y EPOC, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Bruno Gómez-Gil
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo AC, Unidad Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Sanchez-Flores
- Unidad Universitaria de Secuenciación Masiva y Bioinformática, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Carlos F. Arias
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
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21
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Choi H, Hwang M, Cornelius L, Navarathna DH, Chatterjee P, Jinadatha C. Evolution of a Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Lineage Identified during an Investigation of a Hospital Outbreak. Viruses 2024; 16:337. [PMID: 38543703 PMCID: PMC10974601 DOI: 10.3390/v16030337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus steadily evolves, and numerous antigenically distinct variants have emerged over the past three years. Tracking the evolution of the virus would help us understand the process that generates the diverse variants and predict the future evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report the evolutionary trajectory of a unique Omicron lineage identified during an outbreak investigation that occurred in a residence unit in the healthcare system. The new lineage had four distinct non-synonymous and two distinct synonymous mutations apart from its parental lineage. Since this lineage of virus was exclusively found during the outbreak, we were able to track the detailed evolutionary history of the entire lineage along the transmission path. Furthermore, we estimated the evolutionary rate of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant from the analysis of the evolution of the lineage. This new Omicron sub-lineage acquired 3 mutations in a 12-day period, and the evolutionary rate was estimated as 3.05 × 10-3 subs/site/year. This study provides more insight into an ever-evolving virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosoon Choi
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Munok Hwang
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Lisa Cornelius
- Department of Medicine, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (L.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Dhammika H. Navarathna
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA;
| | - Piyali Chatterjee
- Department of Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (M.H.); (P.C.)
| | - Chetan Jinadatha
- Department of Medicine, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 76504, USA; (L.C.); (C.J.)
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
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22
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Ali MA, Caetano-Anollés G. AlphaFold2 Reveals Structural Patterns of Seasonal Haplotype Diversification in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Variants. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:134. [PMID: 38534404 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
The slow experimental acquisition of high-quality atomic structures of the rapidly changing proteins of the COVID-19 virus challenges vaccine and therapeutic drug development efforts. Fortunately, deep learning tools such as AlphaFold2 can quickly generate reliable models of atomic structure at experimental resolution. Current modeling studies have focused solely on definitions of mutant constellations of Variants of Concern (VOCs), leaving out the impact of haplotypes on protein structure. Here, we conduct a thorough comparative structural analysis of S-proteins belonging to major VOCs and corresponding latitude-delimited haplotypes that affect viral seasonal behavior. Our approach identified molecular regions of importance as well as patterns of structural recruitment. The S1 subunit hosted the majority of structural changes, especially those involving the N-terminal domain (NTD) and the receptor-binding domain (RBD). In particular, structural changes in the NTD were much greater than just translations in three-dimensional space, altering the sub-structures to greater extents. We also revealed a notable pattern of structural recruitment with the early VOCs Alpha and Delta behaving antagonistically by suppressing regions of structural change introduced by their corresponding haplotypes, and the current VOC Omicron behaving synergistically by amplifying or collecting structural change. Remarkably, haplotypes altering the galectin-like structure of the NTD were major contributors to seasonal behavior, supporting its putative environmental-sensing role. Our results provide an extensive view of the evolutionary landscape of the S-protein across the COVID-19 pandemic. This view will help predict important regions of structural change in future variants and haplotypes for more efficient vaccine and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asif Ali
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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23
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Korosec CS, Wahl LM, Heffernan JM. Within-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2: how often are de novo mutations transmitted from symptomatic infections? Virus Evol 2024; 10:veae006. [PMID: 38425472 PMCID: PMC10904108 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veae006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite a relatively low mutation rate, the large number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections has allowed for substantial genetic change, leading to a multitude of emerging variants. Using a recently determined mutation rate (per site replication), as well as within-host parameter estimates for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, we apply a stochastic transmission-bottleneck model to describe the survival probability of de novo SARS-CoV-2 mutations as a function of bottleneck size and selection coefficient. For narrow bottlenecks, we find that mutations affecting per-target-cell attachment rate (with phenotypes associated with fusogenicity and ACE2 binding) have similar transmission probabilities to mutations affecting viral load clearance (with phenotypes associated with humoral evasion). We further find that mutations affecting the eclipse rate (with phenotypes associated with reorganization of cellular metabolic processes and synthesis of viral budding precursor material) are highly favoured relative to all other traits examined. We find that mutations leading to reduced removal rates of infected cells (with phenotypes associated with innate immune evasion) have limited transmission advantage relative to mutations leading to humoral evasion. Predicted transmission probabilities, however, for mutations affecting innate immune evasion are more consistent with the range of clinically estimated household transmission probabilities for de novo mutations. This result suggests that although mutations affecting humoral evasion are more easily transmitted when they occur, mutations affecting innate immune evasion may occur more readily. We examine our predictions in the context of a number of previously characterized mutations in circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2. Our work offers both a null model for SARS-CoV-2 mutation rates and predicts which aspects of viral life history are most likely to successfully evolve, despite low mutation rates and repeated transmission bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chapin S Korosec
- Modelling Infection and Immunity Lab, Mathematics and Statistics, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Centre for Disease Modelling, Mathematics and Statistics, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Lindi M Wahl
- Applied Mathematics, Western University, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Jane M Heffernan
- Modelling Infection and Immunity Lab, Mathematics and Statistics, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Centre for Disease Modelling, Mathematics and Statistics, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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24
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Essabbar A, El Mazouri S, Boumajdi N, Bendani H, Aanniz T, Mouna O, Lahcen B, Ibrahimi A. Temporal Dynamics and Genomic Landscape of SARS-CoV-2 After Four Years of Evolution. Cureus 2024; 16:e53654. [PMID: 38327721 PMCID: PMC10849819 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.53654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Since its emergence, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has undergone extensive genomic evolution, impacting public health policies, diagnosis, medication, and vaccine development. This study leverages advanced bioinformatics to assess the virus's temporal and regional genomic evolution from December 2019 to October 2023. Methods Our analysis incorporates 16,575 complete SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected from 214 countries. These samples were comparatively analyzed, with a detailed characterization of nucleic mutations, lineages, distribution, and evolutionary patterns during each year, using the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain as the reference. Results Our analysis has identified a total of 21,580 mutations that we classified into transient mutations, which diminished over time, and persistent mutations with steadily increasing frequencies. This mutation landscape led to a notable surge in the evolutionary rate, rising from 13 mutations per sample in 2020 to 96 by 2023, with minor geographic variations. The phylogenetic analysis unveiled three distinct evolutionary branches, each representing unique viral evolution pathways. These lineages exhibited a tendency for a reduced duration of dominance with a shortening prevalence period over time, as dominant strains were consistently replaced by more fit variants. Notably, the emergence of the Alpha and Delta variants in 2021 was followed by the subsequent dominance of Omicron clade variants that have branched into several recombinant variants in 2022, marking a significant shift in the viral landscape. Conclusion This study sheds light on the dynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, emphasizing the importance of continuous and vigilant genomic surveillance. The dominance of recombinant lineages, coupled with the disappearance of local variants, underscores the virus's adaptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelmounim Essabbar
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
- Toulouse Cancer Research Center, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Toulouse, FRA
| | - Safae El Mazouri
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
| | - Nassma Boumajdi
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
| | - Houda Bendani
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
| | - Tarik Aanniz
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
| | - Ouadghiri Mouna
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
| | - Belyamani Lahcen
- Émergency Department, Military Hospital Rabat Morocco, Rabat, MAR
- Mohammed VI Center For Research and Innovation, Mohammed VI University of Sciences and Health, Rabat, MAR
| | - Azeddine Ibrahimi
- Biotechnology Lab (MedBiotech) Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical & Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, MAR
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25
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Sievers BL, Cheng MTK, Csiba K, Meng B, Gupta RK. SARS-CoV-2 and innate immunity: the good, the bad, and the "goldilocks". Cell Mol Immunol 2024; 21:171-183. [PMID: 37985854 PMCID: PMC10805730 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-023-01104-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
An ancient conflict between hosts and pathogens has driven the innate and adaptive arms of immunity. Knowledge about this interplay can not only help us identify biological mechanisms but also reveal pathogen vulnerabilities that can be leveraged therapeutically. The humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection has been the focus of intense research, and the role of the innate immune system has received significantly less attention. Here, we review current knowledge of the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the various means SARS-CoV-2 employs to evade innate defense systems. We also consider the role of innate immunity in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and in the phenomenon of long COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark T K Cheng
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kata Csiba
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bo Meng
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Ravindra K Gupta
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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26
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Ose NJ, Campitelli P, Modi T, Can Kazan I, Kumar S, Banu Ozkan S. Some mechanistic underpinnings of molecular adaptations of SARS-COV-2 spike protein by integrating candidate adaptive polymorphisms with protein dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.09.14.557827. [PMID: 37745560 PMCID: PMC10515954 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.14.557827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
We integrate evolutionary predictions based on the neutral theory of molecular evolution with protein dynamics to generate mechanistic insight into the molecular adaptations of the SARS-COV-2 Spike (S) protein. With this approach, we first identified Candidate Adaptive Polymorphisms (CAPs) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and assessed the impact of these CAPs through dynamics analysis. Not only have we found that CAPs frequently overlap with well-known functional sites, but also, using several different dynamics-based metrics, we reveal the critical allosteric interplay between SARS-CoV-2 CAPs and the S protein binding sites with the human ACE2 (hACE2) protein. CAPs interact far differently with the hACE2 binding site residues in the open conformation of the S protein compared to the closed form. In particular, the CAP sites control the dynamics of binding residues in the open state, suggesting an allosteric control of hACE2 binding. We also explored the characteristic mutations of different SARS-CoV-2 strains to find dynamic hallmarks and potential effects of future mutations. Our analyses reveal that Delta strain-specific variants have non-additive (i.e., epistatic) interactions with CAP sites, whereas the less pathogenic Omicron strains have mostly additive mutations. Finally, our dynamics-based analysis suggests that the novel mutations observed in the Omicron strain epistatically interact with the CAP sites to help escape antibody binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Ose
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Paul Campitelli
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Tushar Modi
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - I. Can Kazan
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - S. Banu Ozkan
- Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
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Avila-Herrera A, Kimbrel JA, Manuel Martí J, Thissen J, Saada EA, Weisenberger T, Arrildt KT, Segelke BW, Allen JE, Zemla A, Borucki MK. Differential laboratory passaging of SARS-CoV-2 viral stocks impacts the in vitro assessment of neutralizing antibodies. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0289198. [PMID: 38271318 PMCID: PMC10810540 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Viral populations in natural infections can have a high degree of sequence diversity, which can directly impact immune escape. However, antibody potency is often tested in vitro with a relatively clonal viral populations, such as laboratory virus or pseudotyped virus stocks, which may not accurately represent the genetic diversity of circulating viral genotypes. This can affect the validity of viral phenotype assays, such as antibody neutralization assays. To address this issue, we tested whether recombinant virus carrying SARS-CoV-2 spike (VSV-SARS-CoV-2-S) stocks could be made more genetically diverse by passage, and if a stock passaged under selective pressure was more capable of escaping monoclonal antibody (mAb) neutralization than unpassaged stock or than viral stock passaged without selective pressures. We passaged VSV-SARS-CoV-2-S four times concurrently in three cell lines and then six times with or without polyclonal antiserum selection pressure. All three of the monoclonal antibodies tested neutralized the viral population present in the unpassaged stock. The viral inoculum derived from serial passage without antiserum selection pressure was neutralized by two of the three mAbs. However, the viral inoculum derived from serial passage under antiserum selection pressure escaped neutralization by all three mAbs. Deep sequencing revealed the rapid acquisition of multiple mutations associated with antibody escape in the VSV-SARS-CoV-2-S that had been passaged in the presence of antiserum, including key mutations present in currently circulating Omicron subvariants. These data indicate that viral stock that was generated under polyclonal antiserum selection pressure better reflects the natural environment of the circulating virus and may yield more biologically relevant outcomes in phenotypic assays. Thus, mAb assessment assays that utilize a more genetically diverse, biologically relevant, virus stock may yield data that are relevant for prediction of mAb efficacy and for enhancing biosurveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aram Avila-Herrera
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Computing Directorate, Global Security Computing Applications Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey A. Kimbrel
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Jose Manuel Martí
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Computing Directorate, Global Security Computing Applications Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - James Thissen
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Edwin A. Saada
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Tracy Weisenberger
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Kathryn T. Arrildt
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Brent W. Segelke
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Jonathan E. Allen
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Computing Directorate, Global Security Computing Applications Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Adam Zemla
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Computing Directorate, Global Security Computing Applications Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Monica K. Borucki
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Livermore, California, United States of America
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Alsaeed M, Alhamid G, Tombuloglu H, Kabanja JH, Karagoz A, Tombuloglu G, Rabaan AA, Al-Suhaimi E, Unver T. Ultrasensitive and fast detection of SARS-CoV-2 using RT-LAMP without pH-dependent dye. Funct Integr Genomics 2024; 24:16. [PMID: 38242999 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01297-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the performance of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 using fluorometric dye, namely, calcein. The detection limit (LoD) with the N-ID1 primer set resulted in superior performance, corresponding to ~ 2 copies/reaction or ~ 0.1 copies/μL of the RNA sample. The color development can be observed by the naked eye, using an ultraviolet (UV) transilluminator or a hand-UV light without the requirement of expensive devices. The average time-to-reaction (TTR) value was 26.2 min in high-copy number samples, while it was about 50 min in rRT-PCR. A mobile application was proposed to quantify the positive and negative results based on the three-color spaces (RGB, Lab, and HSB). Compared to rRT-PCR (n = 67), this assay allows fast and sensitive visual detection of SARS-CoV-2, with high sensitivity (90.9%), selectivity (100%), and accuracy (94.03%). Besides, the assay was sensitive regardless of variants. Since this assay uses a fluorescent dye for visual observation, it can be easily adapted in RT-LAMP assays with high sensitivity. Thus, it can be utilized in low-source centers and field testing such as conferences, sports meetings, refugee camps, companies, and schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moneerah Alsaeed
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Galyah Alhamid
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huseyin Tombuloglu
- Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Juma H Kabanja
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aysel Karagoz
- Quality Assurance Department, Turk Pharmaceutical and Serum Ind. Inc., Ankara, Turkey
| | - Guzin Tombuloglu
- Department of Biophysics, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, 31311, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan
| | - Ebtesam Al-Suhaimi
- Vice Presidency for Scientific Research and Innovation, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Turgay Unver
- Ficus Biotechnology, Ankara, Turkey
- Faculty of Engineering, Ostim Technical University, 06374, Ankara, Turkey
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29
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Zaidi AK, Singh RB. SARS-CoV-2 variant biology and immune evasion. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 202:45-66. [PMID: 38237990 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
This chapter discusses the SARS-CoV-2 variants and their immune evasion strategies, shedding light on the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ecological dynamics and viral evolution of SARS-CoV-2 are explored, considering carriers of infection, individual immunity profiles, and human movement as key factors in the emergence and dissemination of variants. The chapter discusses SARS-CoV-2 mutation, including mutation rate, substitution rate, and recombination, influencing genetic diversity and evolution. Transmission bottlenecks are highlighted as determinants of dominant variants during viral spread. The evolution phases of the pandemic are outlined, from limited early evolution to the emergence of notable changes like the D614G substitution and variants with heavy mutations. Variants of Concern (VOCs), including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and the recent Omicron variant, are examined, with insights into inter-lineage and intra-lineage dynamics. The origin of VOCs and the Omicron variant is explored, alongside the role of the furin cleavage site (FCS) in variant emergence. The impact of structural and non-structural proteins on viral infectivity is assessed, as well as innate immunity evasion strategies employed by SARS-CoV-2 variants. The chapter concludes by considering future possibilities, including ongoing virus evolution, the need for surveillance, vaccine development, and public health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rohan Bir Singh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Population, Policy and Practice, Greater Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, United Kingdom; Discipline of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Australia.
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30
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Shi YT, Harris JD, Martin MA, Koelle K. Transmission Bottleneck Size Estimation from De Novo Viral Genetic Variation. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msad286. [PMID: 38158742 PMCID: PMC10798134 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Sequencing of viral infections has become increasingly common over the last decade. Deep sequencing data in particular have proven useful in characterizing the roles that genetic drift and natural selection play in shaping within-host viral populations. They have also been used to estimate transmission bottleneck sizes from identified donor-recipient pairs. These bottleneck sizes quantify the number of viral particles that establish genetic lineages in the recipient host and are important to estimate due to their impact on viral evolution. Current approaches for estimating bottleneck sizes exclusively consider the subset of viral sites that are observed as polymorphic in the donor individual. However, these approaches have the potential to substantially underestimate true transmission bottleneck sizes. Here, we present a new statistical approach for instead estimating bottleneck sizes using patterns of viral genetic variation that arise de novo within a recipient individual. Specifically, our approach makes use of the number of clonal viral variants observed in a transmission pair, defined as the number of viral sites that are monomorphic in both the donor and the recipient but carry different alleles. We first test our approach on a simulated dataset and then apply it to both influenza A virus sequence data and SARS-CoV-2 sequence data from identified transmission pairs. Our results confirm the existence of extremely tight transmission bottlenecks for these 2 respiratory viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael A Martin
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katia Koelle
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR), Atlanta, GA, USA
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31
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Miller MR, Braun E, Ip HS, Tyson GH. Domestic and wild animal samples and diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2. Vet Q 2023; 43:1-11. [PMID: 37779468 PMCID: PMC10614713 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2023.2263864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
From the first cases in 2019, COVID-19 infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have resulted in over 6 million human deaths in a worldwide pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is commonly spread from human to human through close contact and is capable of infecting both humans and animals. Worldwide, there have been over 675 animal outbreaks reported that resulted in over 2000 animal infections including domestic and wild animals. As the role of animal infections in the transmission, pathogenesis, and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is still unfolding, accurate and reliable animal diagnostic tests are critical to aid in managing both human and animal health. This review highlights key animal samples and the three main diagnostic approaches used for animal testing: PCR, serology, and Next Generation Sequencing. Diagnostic results help inform (often difficult) clinical decision-making, but also possible ways to mitigate spread among pets, food supplies, or wildlife. A One Health approach has been key to monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as consistent human-animal interactions can lead to novel variants. Having multiple animal diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 available is critical to ensure human, animal, and environmental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Miller
- Center for Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Elias Braun
- Center for Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, USA
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of PA, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hon S. Ip
- National Wildlife Health Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Gregory H. Tyson
- Center for Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, USA
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32
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Palyanov AY, Palyanova NV. On the space of SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence variants. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2023; 27:839-850. [PMID: 38213712 PMCID: PMC10777302 DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-23-97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which humanity resisted using the latest advances in science, left behind, among other things, extensive genetic data. Every day since the end of 2019, samples of the virus genomes have been collected around the world, which makes it possible to trace its evolution in detail from its emergence to the present. The accumulated statistics of testing results showed that the number of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection was at least 767.5 million (9.5 % of the current world population, excluding asymptomatic people), and the number of sequenced virus genomes is more than 15.7 million (which is over 2 % of the total number of infected people). These new data potentially contain information about the mechanisms of the variability and spread of the virus, its interaction with the human immune system, the main parameters characterizing the mechanisms of the development of a pandemic, and much more. In this article, we analyze the space of possible variants of SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences both from a mathematical point of view and taking into account the biological limitations inherent in this system, known both from general biological knowledge and from the consideration of the characteristics of this particular virus. We have developed software capable of loading and analyzing SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequences in FASTA format, determining the 5' and 3' UTR positions, the number and location of unidentified nucleotides ("N"), performing alignment with the reference sequence by calling the program designed for this, determining mutations, deletions and insertions, as well as calculating various characteristics of virus genomes with a given time step (days, weeks, months, etc.). The data obtained indicate that, despite the apparent mathematical diversity of possible options for changing the virus over time, the corridor of the evolutionary trajectory that the coronavirus has passed through seems to be quite narrow. Thus it can be assumed that it is determined to some extent, which allows us to hope for a possibility of modeling the evolution of the coronavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Yu Palyanov
- A.P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - N V Palyanova
- Research Institute of Virology, Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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33
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Ravlo E, Ianevski A, Starheim E, Wang W, Ji P, Lysvand H, Smura T, Kivi G, Voolaid ML, Plaan K, Ustav M, Ustav M, Zusinaite E, Tenson T, Kurg R, Oksenych V, Walstad K, Nordbø SA, Kaarbø M, Ernits K, Bjørås M, Kainov DE, Fenstad MH. Boosted production of antibodies that neutralized different SARS-CoV-2 variants in a COVID-19 convalescent following messenger RNA vaccination - a case study. Int J Infect Dis 2023; 137:75-78. [PMID: 37852599 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccinated convalescents do not develop severe COVID-19 after infection with new SARS-CoV-2 variants. We questioned how messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination of convalescents provides protection from emerging virus variants. From the cohort of 71 convalescent plasma donors, we identified a patient who developed immune response to infection with SARS-CoV-2 variant of 20A clade and who subsequently received mRNA vaccine encoding spike (S) protein of strain of 19A clade. We showed that vaccination increased the production of immune cells and anti-S antibodies in the serum. Serum antibodies neutralized not only 19A and 20A, but also 20B, 20H, 21J, and 21K virus variants. One of the serum antibodies (100F8) completely neutralized 20A, 21J, and partially 21K strains. 100F8 was structurally similar to published Ab188 antibody, which recognized non-conserved epitope on the S protein. We proposed that 100F8 and other serum antibodies of the patient which recognized non- and conserved epitopes of the S protein, could have additive or synergistic effects to neutralize various virus variants. Thus, mRNA vaccination could be beneficial for convalescents because it boosts production of neutralizing antibodies with broad-spectrum activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erlend Ravlo
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Aleksandr Ianevski
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eirin Starheim
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ping Ji
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hilde Lysvand
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Teemu Smura
- Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Diagnostic Center, Clinical Microbiology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Gaily Kivi
- Icosagen Cell Factory OÜ, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Kati Plaan
- Icosagen Cell Factory OÜ, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mart Ustav
- Icosagen Cell Factory OÜ, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mart Ustav
- Icosagen Cell Factory OÜ, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Eva Zusinaite
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tanel Tenson
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Reet Kurg
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Valentyn Oksenych
- Broegelmann Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kirsti Walstad
- Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Svein Arne Nordbø
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mari Kaarbø
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karin Ernits
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Magnar Bjørås
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Embryology and Healthy Development, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Denis E Kainov
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Mona Høysæter Fenstad
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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34
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Haltom J, Trovao NS, Guarnieri J, Vincent P, Singh U, Tsoy S, O'Leary CA, Bram Y, Widjaja GA, Cen Z, Meller R, Baylin SB, Moss WN, Nikolau BJ, Enguita FJ, Wallace DC, Beheshti A, Schwartz R, Wurtele ES. SARS-CoV-2 Orphan Gene ORF10 Contributes to More Severe COVID-19 Disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.27.23298847. [PMID: 38076862 PMCID: PMC10705665 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.27.23298847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The orphan gene of SARS-CoV-2, ORF10, is the least studied gene in the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent experimentation indicated ORF10 expression moderates innate immunity in vitro. However, whether ORF10 affects COVID-19 in humans remained unknown. We determine that the ORF10 sequence is identical to the Wuhan-Hu-1 ancestral haplotype in 95% of genomes across five variants of concern (VOC). Four ORF10 variants are associated with less virulent clinical outcomes in the human host: three of these affect ORF10 protein structure, one affects ORF10 RNA structural dynamics. RNA-Seq data from 2070 samples from diverse human cells and tissues reveals ORF10 accumulation is conditionally discordant from that of other SARS-CoV-2 transcripts. Expression of ORF10 in A549 and HEK293 cells perturbs immune-related gene expression networks, alters expression of the majority of mitochondrially-encoded genes of oxidative respiration, and leads to large shifts in levels of 14 newly-identified transcripts. We conclude ORF10 contributes to more severe COVID-19 clinical outcomes in the human host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Haltom
- Department of Genetics Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- COVID-19 International Research Team, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Nidia S Trovao
- Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
- COVID-19 International Research Team, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Joseph Guarnieri
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- COVID-19 International Research Team, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Pan Vincent
- Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA
| | - Urminder Singh
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, and Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Sergey Tsoy
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Collin A O'Leary
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Yaron Bram
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabrielle A Widjaja
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Zimu Cen
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert Meller
- Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA , 30310-1495, USA
| | - Stephen B Baylin
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21231
- Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
| | - Walter N Moss
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, and Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Basil J Nikolau
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, and Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Francisco J Enguita
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Douglas C Wallace
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Division of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Human Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Afshin Beheshti
- COVID-19 International Research Team, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104 USA
| | - Robert Schwartz
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eve Syrkin Wurtele
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, and Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Genetics Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- COVID-19 International Research Team, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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35
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Maniscalco L, Genovese D, Ravazzolo B, Vella G, Sparacia B, Vitale F, Matranga D, Amodio E. Low Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection for Fully or Boosted mRNA Vaccinated Subjects in Sicily: A Population-Based Study Using Real-World Data. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1757. [PMID: 38140163 PMCID: PMC10748171 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Reinfections occur as a response to natural infections wanes and novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. The present research explored the correlation between sex, age, COVID-19 vaccination, prior infection hospitalization, and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in Sicily, Italy. Materials and Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study was articulated using the vaccination flux from a regional registry and the Sicilian COVID-19 monitoring system of the Italian Institute of Health. Only adult Sicilians were included in the study, and hazard ratios were calculated using Cox regression. Results: Partial vaccination provided some protection (adj-HR: 0.92), when compared to unvaccinated individuals; furthermore, reinfection risk was reduced by full vaccination (adj-HR: 0.43), and the booster dose (adj-HR: 0.41). Males had a lower risk than females of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 (adj-HR: 0.75). Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 was diminished by hospitalization during the first infection (adj-HR: 0.78). Reinfection risk was higher among those aged 30-39 and 40-49 compared to those aged 18-29, whereas those aged 60-69, 70-79, and 80+ were statistically protected. Reinfection was significantly more frequent during the wild-type-Alpha, Delta, Delta-Omicron, and Omicron dominance/codominance waves compared to the wild type. Conclusions: This study establishes a solid base for comprehending the reinfection phenomenon in Sicily by pinpointing the most urgent policy hurdles and identifying some of the major factors. COVID-19 vaccination, one of the most effective public health tools, protects against reinfection, mostly caused by the Omicron strain. Elderly and hospitalized people's lower risk suggests stricter PPE use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Maniscalco
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Dario Genovese
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Barbara Ravazzolo
- Unità Operativa Complessa di Epidemiologia Clinica con Registro Tumori, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Giuseppe Vella
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Benedetta Sparacia
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Francesco Vitale
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
- Unità Operativa Complessa di Epidemiologia Clinica con Registro Tumori, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Domenica Matranga
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Emanuele Amodio
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro” (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (L.M.); (G.V.); (B.S.); (F.V.); (D.M.); (E.A.)
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36
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Comunale BA, Larson RJ, Jackson-Ward E, Singh A, Koback FL, Engineer LD. The Functional Implications of Broad Spectrum Bioactive Compounds Targeting RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRp) in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Viruses 2023; 15:2316. [PMID: 38140557 PMCID: PMC10747147 DOI: 10.3390/v15122316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As long as COVID-19 endures, viral surface proteins will keep changing and new viral strains will emerge, rendering prior vaccines and treatments decreasingly effective. To provide durable targets for preventive and therapeutic agents, there is increasing interest in slowly mutating viral proteins, including non-surface proteins like RdRp. METHODS A scoping review of studies was conducted describing RdRp in the context of COVID-19 through MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE. An iterative approach was used with input from content experts and three independent reviewers, focused on studies related to either RdRp activity inhibition or RdRp mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS Of the 205 records screened, 43 studies were included in the review. Twenty-five evaluated RdRp activity inhibition, and eighteen described RdRp mechanisms of existing drugs or compounds against SARS-CoV-2. In silico experiments suggested that RdRp inhibitors developed for other RNA viruses may be effective in disrupting SARS-CoV-2 replication, indicating a possible reduction of disease progression from current and future variants. In vitro, in vivo, and human clinical trial studies were largely consistent with these findings. CONCLUSIONS Future risk mitigation and treatment strategies against forthcoming SARS-CoV-2 variants should consider targeting RdRp proteins instead of surface proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A. Comunale
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Robin J. Larson
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Palliative Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
| | - Erin Jackson-Ward
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA
| | | | - Lilly D. Engineer
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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37
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Le K, Kannappan S, Kim T, Lee JH, Lee HR, Kim KK. Structural understanding of SARS-CoV-2 virus entry to host cells. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1288686. [PMID: 38033388 PMCID: PMC10683510 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1288686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a major global health concern associated with millions of fatalities worldwide. Mutant variants of the virus have further exacerbated COVID-19 mortality and infection rates, emphasizing the urgent need for effective preventive strategies. Understanding the viral infection mechanism is crucial for developing therapeutics and vaccines. The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells is a key step in the infection pathway and has been targeted for drug development. Despite numerous reviews of COVID-19 and the virus, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on the structural aspects of viral entry. In this review, we analyze structural changes in Spike proteins during the entry process, dividing the entry process into prebinding, receptor binding, proteolytic cleavage, and membrane fusion steps. By understanding the atomic-scale details of viral entry, we can better target the entry step for intervention strategies. We also examine the impacts of mutations in Spike proteins, including the Omicron variant, on viral entry. Structural information provides insights into the effects of mutations and can guide the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Finally, we discuss available structure-based approaches for the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, this review provides a detailed analysis of the structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, highlighting its significance in the development of therapeutics and vaccines against COVID-19. Therefore, our review emphasizes the importance of structural information in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Le
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shrute Kannappan
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Truc Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Heon Lee
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- School of Advanced Materials and Science Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ra Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Science and Technology, Korea University, Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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38
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Van der Roest BR, Bootsma MCJ, Fischer EAJ, Klinkenberg D, Kretzschmar MEE. A Bayesian inference method to estimate transmission trees with multiple introductions; applied to SARS-CoV-2 in Dutch mink farms. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010928. [PMID: 38011266 PMCID: PMC10703282 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of who infected whom during an outbreak of an infectious disease is important to determine risk factors for transmission and to design effective control measures. Both whole-genome sequencing of pathogens and epidemiological data provide useful information about the transmission events and underlying processes. Existing models to infer transmission trees usually assume that the pathogen is introduced only once from outside into the population of interest. However, this is not always true. For instance, SARS-CoV-2 is suggested to be introduced multiple times in mink farms in the Netherlands from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic among humans. Here, we developed a Bayesian inference method combining whole-genome sequencing data and epidemiological data, allowing for multiple introductions of the pathogen in the population. Our method does not a priori split the outbreak into multiple phylogenetic clusters, nor does it break the dependency between the processes of mutation, within-host dynamics, transmission, and observation. We implemented our method as an additional feature in the R-package phybreak. On simulated data, our method correctly identifies the number of introductions, with an accuracy depending on the proportion of all observed cases that are introductions. Moreover, when a single introduction was simulated, our method produced similar estimates of parameters and transmission trees as the existing package. When applied to data from a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Dutch mink farms, the method provides strong evidence for independent introductions of the pathogen at 13 farms, infecting a total of 63 farms. Using the new feature of the phybreak package, transmission routes of a more complex class of infectious disease outbreaks can be inferred which will aid infection control in future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastiaan R. Van der Roest
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Martin C. J. Bootsma
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Egil A. J. Fischer
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Don Klinkenberg
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Mirjam E. E. Kretzschmar
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
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39
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Specht IOA, Petros BA, Moreno GK, Brock-Fisher T, Krasilnikova LA, Schifferli M, Yang K, Cronan P, Glennon O, Schaffner SF, Park DJ, MacInnis BL, Ozonoff A, Fry B, Mitzenmacher MD, Varilly P, Sabeti PC. Inferring Viral Transmission Pathways from Within-Host Variation. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.10.14.23297039. [PMID: 37873325 PMCID: PMC10593003 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.14.23297039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Genome sequencing can offer critical insight into pathogen spread in viral outbreaks, but existing transmission inference methods use simplistic evolutionary models and only incorporate a portion of available genetic data. Here, we develop a robust evolutionary model for transmission reconstruction that tracks the genetic composition of within-host viral populations over time and the lineages transmitted between hosts. We confirm that our model reliably describes within-host variant frequencies in a dataset of 134,682 SARS-CoV-2 deep-sequenced genomes from Massachusetts, USA. We then demonstrate that our reconstruction approach infers transmissions more accurately than two leading methods on synthetic data, as well as in a controlled outbreak of bovine respiratory syncytial virus and an epidemiologically-investigated SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in South Africa. Finally, we apply our transmission reconstruction tool to 5,692 outbreaks among the 134,682 Massachusetts genomes. Our methods and results demonstrate the utility of within-host variation for transmission inference of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens, and provide an adaptable mathematical framework for tracking within-host evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan O. A. Specht
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Harvard College, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Brittany A. Petros
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology PhD Program, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gage K. Moreno
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Taylor Brock-Fisher
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lydia A. Krasilnikova
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | | | | | - Paul Cronan
- Fathom Information Design, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel J. Park
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Bronwyn L. MacInnis
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Al Ozonoff
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ben Fry
- Fathom Information Design, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael D. Mitzenmacher
- Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Patrick Varilly
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Pardis C. Sabeti
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
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40
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Peissert F, Pedotti M, Corbellari R, Simonelli L, De Gasparo R, Tamagnini E, Plüss L, Elsayed A, Matasci M, De Luca R, Cassaniti I, Sammartino JC, Piralla A, Baldanti F, Neri D, Varani L. Adapting Neutralizing Antibodies to Viral Variants by Structure-Guided Affinity Maturation Using Phage Display Technology. GLOBAL CHALLENGES (HOBOKEN, NJ) 2023; 7:2300088. [PMID: 37829677 PMCID: PMC10566804 DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202300088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies have achieved great efficacy and safety for the treatment of numerous infectious diseases. However, their neutralization potency is often rapidly lost when the target antigen mutates. Instead of isolating new antibodies each time a pathogen variant arises, it can be attractive to adapt existing antibodies, making them active against the new variant. Potential benefits of this approach include reduced development time, cost, and regulatory burden. Here a methodology is described to rapidly evolve neutralizing antibodies of proven activity, improving their function against new pathogen variants without losing efficacy against previous ones. The reported procedure is based on structure-guided affinity maturation using combinatorial mutagenesis and phage display technology. Its use against the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is demonstrated, but it is suitable for any other pathogen. As proof of concept, the method is applied to CoV-X2, a human bispecific antibody that binds with high affinity to the early SARS-CoV-2 variants but lost neutralization potency against Delta. Antibodies emerging from the affinity maturation selection exhibit significantly improved neutralization potency against Delta and no loss of efficacy against the other viral sequences tested. These results illustrate the potential application of structure-guided affinity maturation in facilitating the rapid adaptation of neutralizing antibodies to pathogen variants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mattia Pedotti
- Institute for Research in BiomedicineUniversità della Svizzera italiana (USI)Bellinzona6500Switzerland
| | | | - Luca Simonelli
- Institute for Research in BiomedicineUniversità della Svizzera italiana (USI)Bellinzona6500Switzerland
| | - Raoul De Gasparo
- Institute for Research in BiomedicineUniversità della Svizzera italiana (USI)Bellinzona6500Switzerland
| | - Elia Tamagnini
- Institute for Research in BiomedicineUniversità della Svizzera italiana (USI)Bellinzona6500Switzerland
| | - Louis Plüss
- Philochem AGLibernstrasse 3Otelfingen8112Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Irene Cassaniti
- Molecular Virology UnitMicrobiology and Virology DepartmentFondazione IRCCS Policlinico San MatteoPavia27100Italy
| | - Jose’ Camilla Sammartino
- Molecular Virology UnitMicrobiology and Virology DepartmentFondazione IRCCS Policlinico San MatteoPavia27100Italy
| | - Antonio Piralla
- Molecular Virology UnitMicrobiology and Virology DepartmentFondazione IRCCS Policlinico San MatteoPavia27100Italy
| | - Fausto Baldanti
- Molecular Virology UnitMicrobiology and Virology DepartmentFondazione IRCCS Policlinico San MatteoPavia27100Italy
- Department of Clinical Surgical Diagnostic and Pediatric SciencesUniversità degli Studi di PaviaPavia27100Italy
| | - Dario Neri
- Philochem AGLibernstrasse 3Otelfingen8112Switzerland
- Philogen SpALocalità Bellaria 35Sovicille (SI)53018Italy
| | - Luca Varani
- Institute for Research in BiomedicineUniversità della Svizzera italiana (USI)Bellinzona6500Switzerland
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41
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Marchitto L, Chatterjee D, Ding S, Gendron-Lepage G, Tauzin A, Boutin M, Benlarbi M, Medjahed H, Sylla M, Lanctôt H, Durand M, Finzi A, Tremblay C. Humoral Responses Elicited by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine in People Living with HIV. Viruses 2023; 15:2004. [PMID: 37896781 PMCID: PMC10612047 DOI: 10.3390/v15102004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
While mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination elicits strong humoral responses in the general population, humoral responses in people living with HIV (PLWH) remain to be clarified. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study of vaccine immunogenicity elicited after two and three doses of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in PLWH stratified by their CD4 count. We measured the capacity of the antibodies elicited by vaccination to bind the Spike glycoprotein of different variants of concern (VOCs). We also evaluated the Fc-mediated effector functions of these antibodies by measuring their ability to eliminate CEM.NKr cells stably expressing SARS-CoV-2 Spikes. Finally, we measured the relative capacity of the antibodies to neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus after the third dose of mRNA vaccine. We found that after two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, PLWH with a CD4 count < 250/mm3 had lower levels of anti-RBD IgG antibodies compared to PLWH with a CD4 count > 250/mm3 (p < 0.05). A third dose increased these levels and importantly, no major differences were observed in their capacity to mediate Fc-effector functions and neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of mRNA vaccine boosting in immuno-compromised individuals presenting low levels of CD4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorie Marchitto
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | | | - Shilei Ding
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | | | - Alexandra Tauzin
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marianne Boutin
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Mehdi Benlarbi
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | | | - Mohamed Sylla
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Hélène Lanctôt
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | | | - Andrés Finzi
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Cécile Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
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42
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Torres Ortiz A, Kendall M, Storey N, Hatcher J, Dunn H, Roy S, Williams R, Williams C, Goldstein RA, Didelot X, Harris K, Breuer J, Grandjean L. Within-host diversity improves phylogenetic and transmission reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. eLife 2023; 12:e84384. [PMID: 37732733 PMCID: PMC10602588 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate inference of who infected whom in an infectious disease outbreak is critical for the delivery of effective infection prevention and control. The increased resolution of pathogen whole-genome sequencing has significantly improved our ability to infer transmission events. Despite this, transmission inference often remains limited by the lack of genomic variation between the source case and infected contacts. Although within-host genetic diversity is common among a wide variety of pathogens, conventional whole-genome sequencing phylogenetic approaches exclusively use consensus sequences, which consider only the most prevalent nucleotide at each position and therefore fail to capture low-frequency variation within samples. We hypothesized that including within-sample variation in a phylogenetic model would help to identify who infected whom in instances in which this was previously impossible. Using whole-genome sequences from SARS-CoV-2 multi-institutional outbreaks as an example, we show how within-sample diversity is partially maintained among repeated serial samples from the same host, it can transmitted between those cases with known epidemiological links, and how this improves phylogenetic inference and our understanding of who infected whom. Our technique is applicable to other infectious diseases and has immediate clinical utility in infection prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Torres Ortiz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Michelle Kendall
- Department of Statistics, University of WarwickCoventryUnited Kingdom
| | - Nathaniel Storey
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - James Hatcher
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Helen Dunn
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Sunando Roy
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Xavier Didelot
- Department of Statistics, University of WarwickCoventryUnited Kingdom
| | - Kathryn Harris
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Virology, East & South East London Pathology Partnership, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS TrustLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Judith Breuer
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Louis Grandjean
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Rzymski P, Pokorska-Śpiewak M, Jackowska T, Kuchar E, Nitsch-Osuch A, Pawłowska M, Babicki M, Jaroszewicz J, Szenborn L, Wysocki J, Flisiak R. Key Considerations during the Transition from the Acute Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1502. [PMID: 37766178 PMCID: PMC10537111 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been met with an unprecedented response from the scientific community, leading to the development, investigation, and authorization of vaccines and antivirals, ultimately reducing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on global public health. However, SARS-CoV-2 is far from being eradicated, continues to evolve, and causes substantial health and economic burdens. In this narrative review, we posit essential points on SARS-CoV-2 and its responsible management during the transition from the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. As discussed, despite Omicron (sub)variant(s) causing clinically milder infections, SARS-CoV-2 is far from being a negligible pathogen. It requires continued genomic surveillance, particularly if one considers that its future (sub)lineages do not necessarily have to be milder. Antivirals and vaccines remain the essential elements in COVID-19 management. However, the former could benefit from further development and improvements in dosing, while the seasonal administration of the latter requires simplification to increase interest and tackle vaccine hesitancy. It is also essential to ensure the accessibility of COVID-19 pharmaceuticals and vaccines in low-income countries and improve the understanding of their use in the context of the long-term goals of SARS-CoV-2 management. Regardless of location, the primary role of COVID-19 awareness and education must be played by healthcare workers, who directly communicate with patients and serve as role models for healthy behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Rzymski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznań, Poland
| | - Maria Pokorska-Śpiewak
- Department of Children’s Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Teresa Jackowska
- Department of Pediatrics, Centre for Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Ernest Kuchar
- Department of Pediatrics with Clinical Assessment Unit, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Aneta Nitsch-Osuch
- Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-007 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Małgorzata Pawłowska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 85-067 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Mateusz Babicki
- Department of Family Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-141 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Jerzy Jaroszewicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Silesia, 41-902 Bytom, Poland;
| | - Leszek Szenborn
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Wrocław Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Jacek Wysocki
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Robert Flisiak
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland;
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Phan T, Zitzmann C, Chew KW, Smith DM, Daar ES, Wohl DA, Eron JJ, Currier JS, Hughes MD, Choudhary MC, Deo R, Li JZ, Ribeiro RM, Ke R, Perelson AS. Modeling the emergence of viral resistance for SARS-CoV-2 during treatment with an anti-spike monoclonal antibody. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.14.557679. [PMID: 37745410 PMCID: PMC10515893 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.14.557679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to over 760 million cases and 6.9 million deaths worldwide. To mitigate the loss of lives, emergency use authorization was given to several anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in patients with a high risk of progressing to severe disease. Monoclonal antibodies used to treat SARS-CoV-2 target the spike protein of the virus and block its ability to enter and infect target cells. Monoclonal antibody therapy can thus accelerate the decline in viral load and lower hospitalization rates among high-risk patients with susceptible variants. However, viral resistance has been observed, in some cases leading to a transient viral rebound that can be as large as 3-4 orders of magnitude. As mAbs represent a proven treatment choice for SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections, evaluation of treatment-emergent mAb resistance can help uncover underlying pathobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may also help in the development of the next generation of mAb therapies. Although resistance can be expected, the large rebounds observed are much more difficult to explain. We hypothesize replenishment of target cells is necessary to generate the high transient viral rebound. Thus, we formulated two models with different mechanisms for target cell replenishment (homeostatic proliferation and return from an innate immune response anti-viral state) and fit them to data from persons with SARS-CoV-2 treated with a mAb. We showed that both models can explain the emergence of resistant virus associated with high transient viral rebounds. We found that variations in the target cell supply rate and adaptive immunity parameters have a strong impact on the magnitude or observability of the viral rebound associated with the emergence of resistant virus. Both variations in target cell supply rate and adaptive immunity parameters may explain why only some individuals develop observable transient resistant viral rebound. Our study highlights the conditions that can lead to resistance and subsequent viral rebound in mAb treatments during acute infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tin Phan
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Carolin Zitzmann
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Kara W. Chew
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Davey M. Smith
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Eric S. Daar
- Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - David A. Wohl
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joseph J. Eron
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Judith S. Currier
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Manish C. Choudhary
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rinki Deo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan Z. Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ruy M. Ribeiro
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Ruian Ke
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Alan S. Perelson
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
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45
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Ramasamy R. Overview of immunological & virological factors driving the evolution & global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Indian J Med Res 2023; 158:257-268. [PMID: 37815068 PMCID: PMC10720969 DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_2591_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2, a highly infectious positive strand RNA virus first identified in December 2019, has produced multiple genetic variants that have rapidly and sequentially spread worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 for greater infectivity, replication and transmission were selected during the early stages of the pandemic. More recently, after widespread infection and vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 variants that evade antigen-specific adaptive immunity, have begun to be selected. This article provides an overview of the molecular immunological and virological factors underlying the origin and global spread of important SARS-CoV-2 variant lineages.
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Shi T, Harris JD, Martin MA, Koelle K. Transmission bottleneck size estimation from de novo viral genetic variation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553219. [PMID: 37645981 PMCID: PMC10462048 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Sequencing of viral infections has become increasingly common over the last decade. Deep sequencing data in particular have proven useful in characterizing the roles that genetic drift and natural selection play in shaping within-host viral populations. They have also been used to estimate transmission bottleneck sizes from identified donor-recipient pairs. These bottleneck sizes quantify the number of viral particles that establish genetic lineages in the recipient host and are important to estimate due to their impact on viral evolution. Current approaches for estimating bottleneck sizes exclusively consider the subset of viral sites that are observed as polymorphic in the donor individual. However, allele frequencies can change dramatically over the course of an individual's infection, such that sites that are polymorphic in the donor at the time of transmission may not be polymorphic in the donor at the time of sampling and allele frequencies at donor-polymorphic sites may change dramatically over the course of a recipient's infection. Because of this, transmission bottleneck sizes estimated using allele frequencies observed at a donor's polymorphic sites may be considerable underestimates of true bottleneck sizes. Here, we present a new statistical approach for instead estimating bottleneck sizes using patterns of viral genetic variation that arose de novo within a recipient individual. Specifically, our approach makes use of the number of clonal viral variants observed in a transmission pair, defined as the number of viral sites that are monomorphic in both the donor and the recipient but carry different alleles. We first test our approach on a simulated dataset and then apply it to both influenza A virus sequence data and SARS-CoV-2 sequence data from identified transmission pairs. Our results confirm the existence of extremely tight transmission bottlenecks for these two respiratory viruses, using an approach that does not tend to underestimate transmission bottleneck sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Shi
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jeremy D. Harris
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN, USA
| | - Michael A. Martin
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katia Koelle
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR), Atlanta GA, USA
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Milivojević V, Bogdanović J, Babić I, Todorović N, Ranković I. Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) and COVID-19 Infection: An Independent Predictor of Poor Disease Outcome? MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2023; 59:1438. [PMID: 37629728 PMCID: PMC10456234 DOI: 10.3390/medicina59081438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Early reports on COVID-19 infection suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 virus solely attacks respiratory tract cells. As the pandemic spread, it became clear that the infection is multiorganic. Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a chronic liver disease strongly associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess a possible interplay between MAFLD and COVID-19 infection and its implication in COVID-19 outcome. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study, including 130 COVID-19 positive patients was conducted. MAFLD diagnosis was made based on the International Consensus criteria. Patients were divided into two groups, group A (MAFLD) and group B (nonMAFLD). Anthropometric and laboratory analysis were obtained. COVID-19 severity was assessed using the NEWS2 score. Disease outcome was threefold and regarded as discharged, patients who required mechanical ventilation (MV), and deceased patients. Results: MAFLD prevalence was 42%, 67% of patients were discharged, and 19% needed MV. Mortality rate was 14%. MAFLD patients were significantly younger (p < 0.001), and had higher body mass index (p < 0.05), respiratory rate (p < 0.05) and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) than nonMAFLD patients. Regarding metabolic syndrome and inflammatory markers: group A had significantly higher glycemia at admission (p = 0.008), lower HDL-c (p < 0.01), higher triglycerides (p < 0.01), CRP (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p < 0.05) and ferritin (p < 0.05) than group B. MAFLD was associated with more prevalent type 2 diabetes (p = 0.035) and hypertension (p < 0.05). MAFLD patients had a more severe disease course (NEWS2 score, 6.5 ± 0.5 vs. 3 ± 1.0, p < 0.05). MAFLD presence was associated with lower patient discharge (p < 0.01) and increased need for MV (p = 0.024). Multiple regression analysis showed that BMI (p = 0.045), IL-6 (p = 0.03), and MAFLD (p < 0.05) are significant independent risk factors for a poor COVID-19 outcome. Conclusions: The prevalence of MAFLD is relatively high. MAFLD patients had a more severe COVID-19 clinical course and worse disease outcome. Our results imply that early patient stratification and risk assessment are mandatory in order to avoid poor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Milivojević
- Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Dr Koste Todorovica 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena Bogdanović
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Dr Subotica 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivana Babić
- Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Dr Subotica 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nevena Todorović
- Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Bulevar Oslobođenja 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivan Ranković
- Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Truro TR1 3LJ, UK;
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Caetano-Anollés G, Claverie JM, Nasir A. A critical analysis of the current state of virus taxonomy. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1240993. [PMID: 37601376 PMCID: PMC10435761 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1240993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomical classification has preceded evolutionary understanding. For that reason, taxonomy has become a battleground fueled by knowledge gaps, technical limitations, and a priorism. Here we assess the current state of the challenging field, focusing on fallacies that are common in viral classification. We emphasize that viruses are crucial contributors to the genomic and functional makeup of holobionts, organismal communities that behave as units of biological organization. Consequently, viruses cannot be considered taxonomic units because they challenge crucial concepts of organismality and individuality. Instead, they should be considered processes that integrate virions and their hosts into life cycles. Viruses harbor phylogenetic signatures of genetic transfer that compromise monophyly and the validity of deep taxonomic ranks. A focus on building phylogenetic networks using alignment-free methodologies and molecular structure can help mitigate the impasse, at least in part. Finally, structural phylogenomic analysis challenges the polyphyletic scenario of multiple viral origins adopted by virus taxonomy, defeating a polyphyletic origin and supporting instead an ancient cellular origin of viruses. We therefore, prompt abandoning deep ranks and urgently reevaluating the validity of taxonomic units and principles of virus classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences and C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (UMR7256), Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (FR3479), IM2B, IOM, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
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49
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Vasin AV, Stukova MA. Bivalent omicron (BA.1) booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:880-881. [PMID: 37088097 PMCID: PMC10119556 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00189-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Vasin
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnologies, Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg, 195251, Russia.
| | - Marina A Stukova
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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50
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Lobinska G, Pilpel Y, Nowak MA. Evolutionary safety of lethal mutagenesis driven by antiviral treatment. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002214. [PMID: 37552682 PMCID: PMC10409280 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleoside analogs are a major class of antiviral drugs. Some act by increasing the viral mutation rate causing lethal mutagenesis of the virus. Their mutagenic capacity, however, may lead to an evolutionary safety concern. We define evolutionary safety as a probabilistic assurance that the treatment will not generate an increased number of mutants. We develop a mathematical framework to estimate the total mutant load produced with and without mutagenic treatment. We predict rates of appearance of such virus mutants as a function of the timing of treatment and the immune competence of patients, employing realistic assumptions about the vulnerability of the viral genome and its potential to generate viable mutants. We focus on the case study of Molnupiravir, which is an FDA-approved treatment against Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). We estimate that Molnupiravir is narrowly evolutionarily safe, subject to the current estimate of parameters. Evolutionary safety can be improved by restricting treatment with this drug to individuals with a low immunological clearance rate and, in future, by designing treatments that lead to a greater increase in mutation rate. We report a simple mathematical rule to determine the fold increase in mutation rate required to obtain evolutionary safety that is also applicable to other pathogen-treatment combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Lobinska
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yitzhak Pilpel
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Martin A. Nowak
- Department of Mathematics, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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