1
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van Huizen M, Vendrell XM, de Gruyter HLM, Boomaars-van der Zanden AL, van der Meer Y, Snijder EJ, Kikkert M, Myeni SK. The Main Protease of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Induces Cleavage of Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling Protein to Antagonize the Innate Immune Response. Viruses 2024; 16:256. [PMID: 38400032 PMCID: PMC10892576 DOI: 10.3390/v16020256] [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: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is a crucial signaling adaptor in the sensing of positive-sense RNA viruses and the subsequent induction of the innate immune response. Coronaviruses have evolved multiple mechanisms to evade this response, amongst others, through their main protease (Mpro), which is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of the largest part of the viral replicase polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab. Additionally, it can cleave cellular substrates, such as innate immune signaling factors, to dampen the immune response. Here, we show that MAVS is cleaved in cells infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but not in cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This cleavage was independent of cellular negative feedback mechanisms that regulate MAVS activation. Furthermore, MERS-CoV Mpro expression induced MAVS cleavage upon overexpression and suppressed the activation of the interferon-β (IFN-β) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) response. We conclude that we have uncovered a novel mechanism by which MERS-CoV downregulates the innate immune response, which is not observed among other highly pathogenic coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sebenzile K. Myeni
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Leiden University Center of Infectious Diseases (LU-CID), Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
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2
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Weingarten-Gabbay S, Chen DY, Sarkizova S, Taylor HB, Gentili M, Hernandez GM, Pearlman LR, Bauer MR, Rice CM, Clauser KR, Hacohen N, Carr SA, Abelin JG, Saeed M, Sabeti PC. The HLA-II immunopeptidome of SARS-CoV-2. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113596. [PMID: 38117652 PMCID: PMC10860710 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113596] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted synthetic vaccines have the potential to transform our response to viral outbreaks, yet the design of these vaccines requires a comprehensive knowledge of viral immunogens. Here, we report severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) peptides that are naturally processed and loaded onto human leukocyte antigen-II (HLA-II) complexes in infected cells. We identify over 500 unique viral peptides from canonical proteins as well as from overlapping internal open reading frames. Most HLA-II peptides colocalize with known CD4+ T cell epitopes in coronavirus disease 2019 patients, including 2 reported immunodominant regions in the SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein. Overall, our analyses show that HLA-I and HLA-II pathways target distinct viral proteins, with the structural proteins accounting for most of the HLA-II peptidome and nonstructural and noncanonical proteins accounting for the majority of the HLA-I peptidome. These findings highlight the need for a vaccine design that incorporates multiple viral elements harboring CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes to maximize vaccine effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Weingarten-Gabbay
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Da-Yuan Chen
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Hannah B Taylor
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Matteo Gentili
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Leah R Pearlman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Matthew R Bauer
- Harvard Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charles M Rice
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karl R Clauser
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nir Hacohen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven A Carr
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Mohsan Saeed
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pardis C Sabeti
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
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3
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Müller M, Herrmann A, Fujita S, Uriu K, Kruth C, Strange A, Kolberg JE, Schneider M, Ito J, Müller MA, Drosten C, Ensser A, Sato K, Sauter D. ORF3c is expressed in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and inhibits innate sensing by targeting MAVS. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57137. [PMID: 37870297 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357137] [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: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Most SARS-CoV-2 proteins are translated from subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs). While the majority of these sgRNAs are monocistronic, some viral mRNAs encode more than one protein. One example is the ORF3a sgRNA that also encodes ORF3c, an enigmatic 41-amino-acid peptide. Here, we show that ORF3c is expressed in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and suppresses RIG-I- and MDA5-mediated IFN-β induction. ORF3c interacts with the signaling adaptor MAVS, induces its C-terminal cleavage, and inhibits the interaction of RIG-I with MAVS. The immunosuppressive activity of ORF3c is conserved among members of the subgenus sarbecovirus, including SARS-CoV and coronaviruses isolated from bats. Notably, however, the SARS-CoV-2 delta and kappa variants harbor premature stop codons in ORF3c, demonstrating that this reading frame is not essential for efficient viral replication in vivo and is likely compensated by other viral proteins. In agreement with this, disruption of ORF3c does not significantly affect SARS-CoV-2 replication in CaCo-2, CaLu-3, or Rhinolophus alcyone cells. In summary, we here identify ORF3c as an immune evasion factor of SARS-CoV-2 that suppresses innate sensing in infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Müller
- Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Herrmann
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Shigeru Fujita
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiya Uriu
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Carolin Kruth
- Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Adam Strange
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jan E Kolberg
- Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Schneider
- Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jumpei Ito
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Marcel A Müller
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Armin Ensser
- Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kei Sato
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan
| | - Daniel Sauter
- Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Stewart H, Lu Y, O’Keefe S, Valpadashi A, Cruz-Zaragoza LD, Michel HA, Nguyen SK, Carnell GW, Lukhovitskaya N, Milligan R, Adewusi Y, Jungreis I, Lulla V, Matthews DA, High S, Rehling P, Emmott E, Heeney JL, Davidson AD, Edgar JR, Smith GL, Firth AE. The SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF3c is a mitochondrial modulator of innate immunity. iScience 2023; 26:108080. [PMID: 37860693 PMCID: PMC10583119 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes a multitude of accessory proteins. Using comparative genomic approaches, an additional accessory protein, ORF3c, has been predicted to be encoded within the ORF3a sgmRNA. Expression of ORF3c during infection has been confirmed independently by ribosome profiling. Despite ORF3c also being present in the 2002-2003 SARS-CoV, its function has remained unexplored. Here we show that ORF3c localizes to mitochondria, where it inhibits innate immunity by restricting IFN-β production, but not NF-κB activation or JAK-STAT signaling downstream of type I IFN stimulation. We find that ORF3c is inhibitory after stimulation with cytoplasmic RNA helicases RIG-I or MDA5 or adaptor protein MAVS, but not after TRIF, TBK1 or phospho-IRF3 stimulation. ORF3c co-immunoprecipitates with the antiviral proteins MAVS and PGAM5 and induces MAVS cleavage by caspase-3. Together, these data provide insight into an uncharacterized mechanism of innate immune evasion by this important human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazel Stewart
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yongxu Lu
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah O’Keefe
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Anusha Valpadashi
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - George W. Carnell
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Rachel Milligan
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Yasmin Adewusi
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Irwin Jungreis
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Valeria Lulla
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - David A. Matthews
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Stephen High
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Peter Rehling
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Edward Emmott
- Centre for Proteome Research, Department of Biochemistry & Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jonathan L. Heeney
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew D. Davidson
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - James R. Edgar
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Andrew E. Firth
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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5
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Ardern Z. Alternative Reading Frames are an Underappreciated Source of Protein Sequence Novelty. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:570-580. [PMID: 37326679 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10122-3] [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: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Protein-coding DNA sequences can be translated into completely different amino acid sequences if the nucleotide triplets used are shifted by a non-triplet amount on the same DNA strand or by translating codons from the opposite strand. Such "alternative reading frames" of protein-coding genes are a major contributor to the evolution of novel protein products. Recent studies demonstrating this include examples across the three domains of cellular life and in viruses. These sequences increase the number of trials potentially available for the evolutionary invention of new genes and also have unusual properties which may facilitate gene origin. There is evidence that the structure of the standard genetic code contributes to the features and gene-likeness of some alternative frame sequences. These findings have important implications across diverse areas of molecular biology, including for genome annotation, structural biology, and evolutionary genomics.
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6
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Skittrall JP, Irigoyen N, Brierley I, Gog JR. A novel approach to finding conserved features in low-variability gene alignments characterises RNA motifs in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12079. [PMID: 37495730 PMCID: PMC10372003 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39207-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Collections of genetic sequences belonging to related organisms contain information on the evolutionary constraints to which the organisms have been subjected. Heavily constrained regions can be investigated to understand their roles in an organism's life cycle, and drugs can be sought to disrupt these roles. In organisms with low genetic diversity, such as newly-emerged pathogens, it is key to obtain this information early to develop new treatments. Here, we present methods that ensure we can leverage all the information available in a low-signal, low-noise set of sequences, to find contiguous regions of relatively conserved nucleic acid. We demonstrate the application of these methods by analysing over 5 million genome sequences of the recently-emerged RNA virus SARS-CoV-2 and correlating these results with an analysis of 119 genome sequences of SARS-CoV. We propose the precise location of a previously described packaging signal, and discuss explanations for other regions of high conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Skittrall
- Department of Pathology, Division of Virology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
| | - Nerea Irigoyen
- Department of Pathology, Division of Virology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Ian Brierley
- Department of Pathology, Division of Virology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Julia R Gog
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
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7
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Mozzi A, Oldani M, Forcella ME, Vantaggiato C, Cappelletti G, Pontremoli C, Valenti F, Forni D, Saresella M, Biasin M, Sironi M, Fusi P, Cagliani R. SARS-CoV-2 ORF3c impairs mitochondrial respiratory metabolism, oxidative stress, and autophagic flux. iScience 2023; 26:107118. [PMID: 37361873 PMCID: PMC10265927 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses encode a variable number of accessory proteins that are involved in host-virus interaction, suppression of immune responses, or immune evasion. SARS-CoV-2 encodes at least twelve accessory proteins, whose roles during infection have been studied. Nevertheless, the role of the ORF3c accessory protein, an alternative open reading frame of ORF3a, has remained elusive. Herein, we show that the ORF3c protein has a mitochondrial localization and alters mitochondrial metabolism, inducing a shift from glucose to fatty acids oxidation and enhanced oxidative phosphorylation. These effects result in increased ROS production and block of the autophagic flux. In particular, ORF3c affects lysosomal acidification, blocking the normal autophagic degradation process and leading to autolysosome accumulation. We also observed different effect on autophagy for SARS-CoV-2 and batCoV RaTG13 ORF3c proteins; the 36R and 40K sites are necessary and sufficient to determine these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Mozzi
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Monica Oldani
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, 20126, Italy
| | - Matilde E Forcella
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, 20126, Italy
| | - Chiara Vantaggiato
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Gioia Cappelletti
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, 20157, Italy
| | - Chiara Pontremoli
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Francesca Valenti
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Diego Forni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Marina Saresella
- Don C. Gnocchi Foundation ONLUS, IRCCS, Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology, Milan, 20148, Italy
| | - Mara Biasin
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, 20157, Italy
| | - Manuela Sironi
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
| | - Paola Fusi
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, 20126, Italy
| | - Rachele Cagliani
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Italy
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8
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Weingarten-Gabbay S, Chen DY, Sarkizova S, Taylor HB, Gentili M, Pearlman LR, Bauer MR, Rice CM, Clauser KR, Hacohen N, Carr SA, Abelin JG, Saeed M, Sabeti PC. The HLA-II immunopeptidome of SARS-CoV-2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.26.542482. [PMID: 37398281 PMCID: PMC10312465 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.26.542482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Targeted synthetic vaccines have the potential to transform our response to viral outbreaks; yet the design of these vaccines requires a comprehensive knowledge of viral immunogens, including T-cell epitopes. Having previously mapped the SARS-CoV-2 HLA-I landscape, here we report viral peptides that are naturally processed and loaded onto HLA-II complexes in infected cells. We identified over 500 unique viral peptides from canonical proteins, as well as from overlapping internal open reading frames (ORFs), revealing, for the first time, the contribution of internal ORFs to the HLA-II peptide repertoire. Most HLA-II peptides co-localized with the known CD4+ T cell epitopes in COVID-19 patients. We also observed that two reported immunodominant regions in the SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein are formed at the level of HLA-II presentation. Overall, our analyses show that HLA-I and HLA-II pathways target distinct viral proteins, with the structural proteins accounting for most of the HLA-II peptidome and non-structural and non-canonical proteins accounting for the majority of the HLA-I peptidome. These findings highlight the need for a vaccine design that incorporates multiple viral elements harboring CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes to maximize the vaccine effectiveness.
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9
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Shapira G, Patalon T, Gazit S, Shomron N. Immunosuppression as a Hub for SARS-CoV-2 Mutational Drift. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040855. [PMID: 37112835 PMCID: PMC10145566 DOI: 10.3390/v15040855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is largely determined by host factors, with a wide range of outcomes. Despite an extensive vaccination campaign and high rates of infection worldwide, the pandemic persists, adapting to overcome antiviral immunity acquired through prior exposure. The source of many such major adaptations is variants of concern (VOCs), novel SARS-CoV-2 variants produced by extraordinary evolutionary leaps whose origins remain mostly unknown. In this study, we tested the influence of factors on the evolutionary course of SARS-CoV-2. Electronic health records of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 were paired to viral whole-genome sequences to assess the effects of host clinical parameters and immunity on the intra-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2. We found slight, albeit significant, differences in SARS-CoV-2 intra-host diversity, which depended on host parameters such as vaccination status and smoking. Only one viral genome had significant alterations as a result of host parameters; it was found in an immunocompromised, chronically infected woman in her 70s. We highlight the unusual viral genome obtained from this woman, which had an accelerated mutational rate and an excess of rare mutations, including near-complete truncating of the accessory protein ORF3a. Our findings suggest that the evolutionary capacity of SARS-CoV-2 during acute infection is limited and mostly unaffected by host characteristics. Significant viral evolution is seemingly exclusive to a small subset of COVID-19 cases, which typically prolong infections in immunocompromised patients. In these rare cases, SARS-CoV-2 genomes accumulate many impactful and potentially adaptive mutations; however, the transmissibility of such viruses remains unclear.
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10
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Broni E, Miller WA. Computational Analysis Predicts Correlations among Amino Acids in SARS-CoV-2 Proteomes. Biomedicines 2023; 11:512. [PMID: 36831052 PMCID: PMC9953644 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020512] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a serious global challenge requiring urgent and permanent therapeutic solutions. These solutions can only be engineered if the patterns and rate of mutations of the virus can be elucidated. Predicting mutations and the structure of proteins based on these mutations have become necessary for early drug and vaccine design purposes in anticipation of future viral mutations. The amino acid composition (AAC) of proteomes and individual viral proteins provide avenues for exploitation since AACs have been previously used to predict structure, shape and evolutionary rates. Herein, the frequency of amino acid residues found in 1637 complete proteomes belonging to 11 SARS-CoV-2 variants/lineages were analyzed. Leucine is the most abundant amino acid residue in the SARS-CoV-2 with an average AAC of 9.658% while tryptophan had the least abundance of 1.11%. The AAC and ranking of lysine and glycine varied in the proteome. For some variants, glycine had higher frequency and AAC than lysine and vice versa in other variants. Tryptophan was also observed to be the most intolerant to mutation in the various proteomes for the variants used. A correlogram revealed a very strong correlation of 0.999992 between B.1.525 (Eta) and B.1.526 (Iota) variants. Furthermore, isoleucine and threonine were observed to have a very strong negative correlation of -0.912, while cysteine and isoleucine had a very strong positive correlation of 0.835 at p < 0.001. Shapiro-Wilk normality test revealed that AAC values for all the amino acid residues except methionine showed no evidence of non-normality at p < 0.05. Thus, AACs of SARS-CoV-2 variants can be predicted using probability and z-scores. AACs may be beneficial in classifying viral strains, predicting viral disease types, members of protein families, protein interactions and for diagnostic purposes. They may also be used as a feature along with other crucial factors in machine-learning based algorithms to predict viral mutations. These mutation-predicting algorithms may help in developing effective therapeutics and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Broni
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Whelton A. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
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11
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Cheng J, Hao Y, Shi Q, Hou G, Wang Y, Wang Y, Xiao W, Othman J, Qi J, Wang Y, Chen Y, Yu G. Discovery of Novel Chinese Medicine Compounds Targeting 3CL Protease by Virtual Screening and Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28030937. [PMID: 36770604 PMCID: PMC9921503 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28030937] [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: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The transmission and infectivity of COVID-19 have caused a pandemic that has lasted for several years. This is due to the constantly changing variants and subvariants that have evolved rapidly from SARS-CoV-2. To discover drugs with therapeutic potential for COVID-19, we focused on the 3CL protease (3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2, which has been proven to be an important target for COVID-19 infection. Computational prediction techniques are quick and accurate enough to facilitate the discovery of drugs against the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2. In this paper, we used both ligand-based virtual screening and structure-based virtual screening to screen the traditional Chinese medicine small molecules that have the potential to target the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2. MD simulations were used to confirm these results for future in vitro testing. MCCS was then used to calculate the normalized free energy of each ligand and the residue energy contribution. As a result, we found ZINC15676170, ZINC09033700, and ZINC12530139 to be the most promising antiviral therapies against the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Cheng
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Yixuan Hao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Qin Shi
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Guanyu Hou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Yanan Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Yong Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Wen Xiao
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Joseph Othman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Junnan Qi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Yuanqiang Wang
- School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (Y.C.); (G.Y.); Tel.: +86-2362563190 (Y.W.); +86-57188813483 (Y.C.); +86-13401772896 (G.Y.)
| | - Yan Chen
- College of Pharmacology Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (Y.C.); (G.Y.); Tel.: +86-2362563190 (Y.W.); +86-57188813483 (Y.C.); +86-13401772896 (G.Y.)
| | - Guanghua Yu
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (Y.C.); (G.Y.); Tel.: +86-2362563190 (Y.W.); +86-57188813483 (Y.C.); +86-13401772896 (G.Y.)
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12
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Wu K, Wang D, Wang J, Zhou Y. Translation landscape of SARS-CoV-2 noncanonical subgenomic RNAs. Virol Sin 2022; 37:813-822. [PMID: 36075564 PMCID: PMC9444306 DOI: 10.1016/j.virs.2022.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with a positive-stranded RNA genome. Current proteomic studies of SARS-CoV-2 mainly focus on the proteins encoded by its genomic RNA (gRNA) or canonical subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs). Here, we systematically investigated the translation landscape of SARS-CoV-2, especially its noncanonical sgRNAs. We first constructed a strict pipeline, named vipep, for identifying reliable peptides derived from RNA viruses using RNA-seq and mass spectrometry data. We applied vipep to analyze 24 sets of mass spectrometry data related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to known canonical proteins, we identified many noncanonical sgRNA-derived peptides, which stably increase after viral infection. Furthermore, we explored the potential functions of those proteins encoded by noncanonical sgRNAs and found that they can bind to viral RNAs and may have immunogenic activity. The generalized vipep pipeline is applicable to any RNA viruses and these results have expanded the SARS-CoV-2 translation map, providing new insights for understanding the functions of SARS-CoV-2 sgRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Dehe Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Junhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China,TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, RNA Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China,Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China,Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China,Corresponding author
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13
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Lucas S, Jones M, Kothari S, Madlambayan A, Ngo C, Chan C, Goraichuk IV. A 336-Nucleotide In-Frame Deletion in ORF7a Gene of SARS-CoV-2 Identified in Genomic Surveillance by Next-Generation Sequencing. J Clin Virol 2022; 148:105105. [PMID: 35220006 PMCID: PMC8842577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2022.105105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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14
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Gupta S, Mallick D, Banerjee K, Mukherjee S, Sarkar S, Lee STM, Basuchowdhuri P, Jana SS. D155Y substitution of SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a weakens binding with Caveolin-1. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:766-778. [PMID: 35126886 PMCID: PMC8802530 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The clinical manifestation of the recent pandemic COVID-19, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, varies from mild to severe respiratory illness. Although environmental, demographic and co-morbidity factors have an impact on the severity of the disease, contribution of the mutations in each of the viral genes towards the degree of severity needs a deeper understanding for designing a better therapeutic approach against COVID-19. Open Reading Frame-3a (ORF3a) protein has been found to be mutated at several positions. In this work, we have studied the effect of one of the most frequently occurring mutants, D155Y of ORF3a protein, found in Indian COVID-19 patients. Using computational simulations we demonstrated that the substitution at 155th changed the amino acids involved in salt bridge formation, hydrogen-bond occupancy, interactome clusters, and the stability of the protein compared with the other substitutions found in Indian patients. Protein-protein docking using HADDOCK analysis revealed that substitution D155Y weakened the binding affinity of ORF3a with caveolin-1 compared with the other substitutions, suggesting its importance in the overall stability of ORF3a-caveolin-1 complex, which may modulate the virulence property of SARS-CoV-2.
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Key Words
- ARL6IP6, ADP Ribosylation Factor Like GTPase 6 interacting protein 6
- ASC, Apoptosis associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain
- BLAST, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool
- CD4+, Cluster of Differentiation 4+
- CD8+, Cluster of Differentiation 8+
- COVID-19, Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Caveolin-1
- Cryo-EM, Cryo Electron Microscope
- Graph theory
- HMOX1, Heme Oxygenase 1
- IFN, Interferon
- MERS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- MMGBSA, Molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation
- Molecular dynamics simulation
- Mutation
- NCBI, National Centre for Biotechnology Information
- NF-
κ
B, Nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells
- NLRP3, Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, Leucine rich repeat and Pyrin domain containing
- ORF, Open Reading Frame
- ORF3a
- PDB, Protein Data Bank
- PISA, Protein Interfaces Surfaces and Assemblies
- PROVEAN, Protein Variation Effect Analyzer
- RMSD, Root Mean Square Deviation
- SARS-CoV-2
- SUN2, SUN domain-containing protein 2
- TRIM59, Tripartite motif-containing protein 59.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchetana Gupta
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
| | - Ditipriya Mallick
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
| | - Kumarjeet Banerjee
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
| | - Shrimon Mukherjee
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
| | | | - Sonny TM Lee
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, USA
| | - Partha Basuchowdhuri
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
| | - Siddhartha S Jana
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, India
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15
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Z. Asfour H, S. Ibrahim T, A. A. Ahme O, Alhakamy NA, Fahmy UA, W. Al-Rabi M. Sitagliptin Combined HIV-TAT as Potential Therapeutic Targeting of SARS-CoV-2 Virus. INT J PHARMACOL 2022. [DOI: 10.3923/ijp.2022.70.78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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16
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Malone B, Urakova N, Snijder EJ, Campbell EA. Structures and functions of coronavirus replication-transcription complexes and their relevance for SARS-CoV-2 drug design. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:21-39. [PMID: 34824452 PMCID: PMC8613731 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00432-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 98.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed millions of people and continues to cause massive global upheaval. Coronaviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses with an unusually large genome of ~30 kb. They express an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and a cohort of other replication enzymes and supporting factors to transcribe and replicate their genomes. The proteins performing these essential processes are prime antiviral drug targets, but drug discovery is hindered by our incomplete understanding of coronavirus RNA synthesis and processing. In infected cells, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase must coordinate with other viral and host factors to produce both viral mRNAs and new genomes. Recent research aiming to decipher and contextualize the structures, functions and interplay of the subunits of the SARS-CoV-2 replication and transcription complex proteins has burgeoned. In this Review, we discuss recent advancements in our understanding of the molecular basis and complexity of the coronavirus RNA-synthesizing machinery. Specifically, we outline the mechanisms and regulation of RNA translation, replication and transcription. We also discuss the composition of the replication and transcription complexes and their suitability as targets for antiviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Malone
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Nadya Urakova
- grid.10419.3d0000000089452978Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Eric J. Snijder
- grid.10419.3d0000000089452978Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth A. Campbell
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
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17
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Computational methods for inferring location and genealogy of overlapping genes in virus genomes: approaches and applications. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 52:1-8. [PMID: 34798370 PMCID: PMC8594276 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Viruses may evolve to increase the amount of encoded genetic information by means of overlapping genes, which utilize several reading frames. Such overlapping genes may be especially impactful for genomes of small size, often serving a source of novel accessory proteins, some of which play a crucial role in viral pathogenicity or in promoting the systemic spread of virus. Diverse genome-based metrics were proposed to facilitate recognition of overlapping genes that otherwise may be overlooked during genome annotation. They can detect the atypical codon bias associated with the overlap (e.g. a statistically significant reduction in variability at synonymous sites) or other sequence-composition features peculiar to overlapping genes. In this review, I compare nine computational methods, discuss their strengths and limitations, and survey how they were applied to detect candidate overlapping genes in the genome of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19 pandemic.
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18
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Abstract
CoVID-19 is a multi-symptomatic disease which has made a global impact due to its ability to spread rapidly, and its relatively high mortality rate. Beyond the heroic efforts to develop vaccines, which we do not discuss herein, the response of scientists and clinicians to this complex problem has reflected the need to detect CoVID-19 rapidly, to diagnose patients likely to show adverse symptoms, and to treat severe and critical CoVID-19. Here we aim to encapsulate these varied and sometimes conflicting approaches and the resulting data in terms of chemistry and biology. In the process we highlight emerging concepts, and potential future applications that may arise out of this immense effort.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yimon Aye
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)1015LausanneSwitzerland
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19
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Pavesi A. Prediction of two novel overlapping ORFs in the genome of SARS-CoV-2. Virology 2021; 562:149-157. [PMID: 34339929 PMCID: PMC8317007 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Six candidate overlapping genes have been detected in SARS-CoV-2, yet current methods struggle to detect overlapping genes that recently originated. However, such genes might encode proteins beneficial to the virus, and provide a model system to understand gene birth. To complement existing detection methods, I first demonstrated that selection pressure to avoid stop codons in alternative reading frames is a driving force in the origin and retention of overlapping genes. I then built a detection method, CodScr, based on this selection pressure. Finally, I combined CodScr with methods that detect other properties of overlapping genes, such as a biased nucleotide and amino acid composition. I detected two novel ORFs (ORF-Sh and ORF-Mh), overlapping the spike and membrane genes respectively, which are under selection pressure and may be beneficial to SARS-CoV-2. ORF-Sh and ORF-Mh are present, as ORF uninterrupted by stop codons, in 100% and 95% of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Pavesi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area Delle Scienze 23/A, I-43124, Parma, Italy.
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20
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Brant AC, Tian W, Majerciak V, Yang W, Zheng ZM. SARS-CoV-2: from its discovery to genome structure, transcription, and replication. Cell Biosci 2021; 11:136. [PMID: 34281608 PMCID: PMC8287290 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00643-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is an extremely contagious respiratory virus causing adult atypical pneumonia COVID-19 with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SARS-CoV-2 has a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA (+RNA) genome of ~ 29.9 kb and exhibits significant genetic shift from different isolates. After entering the susceptible cells expressing both ACE2 and TMPRSS2, the SARS-CoV-2 genome directly functions as an mRNA to translate two polyproteins from the ORF1a and ORF1b region, which are cleaved by two viral proteases into sixteen non-structural proteins (nsp1-16) to initiate viral genome replication and transcription. The SARS-CoV-2 genome also encodes four structural (S, E, M and N) and up to six accessory (3a, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, and 9b) proteins, but their translation requires newly synthesized individual subgenomic RNAs (sgRNA) in the infected cells. Synthesis of the full-length viral genomic RNA (gRNA) and sgRNAs are conducted inside double-membrane vesicles (DMVs) by the viral replication and transcription complex (RTC), which comprises nsp7, nsp8, nsp9, nsp12, nsp13 and a short RNA primer. To produce sgRNAs, RTC starts RNA synthesis from the highly structured gRNA 3' end and switches template at various transcription regulatory sequence (TRSB) sites along the gRNA body probably mediated by a long-distance RNA-RNA interaction. The TRS motif in the gRNA 5' leader (TRSL) is responsible for the RNA-RNA interaction with the TRSB upstream of each ORF and skipping of the viral genome in between them to produce individual sgRNAs. Abundance of individual sgRNAs and viral gRNA synthesized in the infected cells depend on the location and read-through efficiency of each TRSB. Although more studies are needed, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has taught the world a painful lesson that is to invest and proactively prepare future emergence of other types of coronaviruses and any other possible biological horrors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayslan Castro Brant
- Tumor Virus RNA Biology Section, HIV DRP, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Wei Tian
- Mechanism of DNA Repair, Replication, and Recombination Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vladimir Majerciak
- Tumor Virus RNA Biology Section, HIV DRP, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- Mechanism of DNA Repair, Replication, and Recombination Section, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Zhi-Ming Zheng
- Tumor Virus RNA Biology Section, HIV DRP, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, MD, USA.
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21
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Chazal N. Coronavirus, the King Who Wanted More Than a Crown: From Common to the Highly Pathogenic SARS-CoV-2, Is the Key in the Accessory Genes? Front Microbiol 2021; 12:682603. [PMID: 34335504 PMCID: PMC8317507 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.682603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that emerged in late 2019, is the etiologic agent of the current "coronavirus disease 2019" (COVID-19) pandemic, which has serious health implications and a significant global economic impact. Of the seven human coronaviruses, all of which have a zoonotic origin, the pandemic SARS-CoV-2, is the third emerging coronavirus, in the 21st century, highly pathogenic to the human population. Previous human coronavirus outbreaks (SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV) have already provided several valuable information on some of the common molecular and cellular mechanisms of coronavirus infections as well as their origin. However, to meet the new challenge caused by the SARS-CoV-2, a detailed understanding of the biological specificities, as well as knowledge of the origin are crucial to provide information on viral pathogenicity, transmission and epidemiology, and to enable strategies for therapeutic interventions and drug discovery. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the current advances in SARS-CoV-2 knowledges, in light of pre-existing information of other recently emerging coronaviruses. We depict the specificity of the immune response of wild bats and discuss current knowledge of the genetic diversity of bat-hosted coronaviruses that promotes viral genome expansion (accessory gene acquisition). In addition, we describe the basic virology of coronaviruses with a special focus SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we highlight, in detail, the current knowledge of genes and accessory proteins which we postulate to be the major keys to promote virus adaptation to specific hosts (bat and human), to contribute to the suppression of immune responses, as well as to pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Chazal
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
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22
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Redondo N, Zaldívar-López S, Garrido JJ, Montoya M. SARS-CoV-2 Accessory Proteins in Viral Pathogenesis: Knowns and Unknowns. Front Immunol 2021; 12:708264. [PMID: 34305949 PMCID: PMC8293742 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.708264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
There are still many unanswered questions concerning viral SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in COVID-19. Accessory proteins in SARS-CoV-2 consist of eleven viral proteins whose roles during infection are still not completely understood. Here, a review on the current knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins is summarized updating new research that could be critical in understanding SARS-CoV-2 interaction with the host. Some accessory proteins such as ORF3b, ORF6, ORF7a and ORF8 have been shown to be important IFN-I antagonists inducing an impairment in the host immune response. In addition, ORF3a is involved in apoptosis whereas others like ORF9b and ORF9c interact with cellular organelles leading to suppression of the antiviral response in infected cells. However, possible roles of ORF7b and ORF10 are still awaiting to be described. Also, ORF3d has been reassigned. Relevant information on the knowns and the unknowns in these proteins is analyzed, which could be crucial for further understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and to design strategies counteracting their actions evading immune responses in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Redondo
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CIB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Zaldívar-López
- Animal Breeding and Genomics Group, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Immunogenomics and Molecular Pathogenesis GA14 Group, Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Juan J. Garrido
- Animal Breeding and Genomics Group, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Immunogenomics and Molecular Pathogenesis GA14 Group, Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Maria Montoya
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CIB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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23
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Pyke AT, Nair N, van den Hurk AF, Burtonclay P, Nguyen S, Barcelon J, Kistler C, Schlebusch S, McMahon J, Moore F. Replication Kinetics of B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Including Assessment of a B.1.1.7 Mutant Carrying a Defective ORF7a Gene. Viruses 2021; 13:v13061087. [PMID: 34200386 PMCID: PMC8227137 DOI: 10.3390/v13061087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of COVID-19, is a readily transmissible and potentially deadly pathogen which is currently re-defining human susceptibility to pandemic viruses in the modern world. The recent emergence of several genetically distinct descendants known as variants of concern (VOCs) is further challenging public health disease management, due to increased rates of virus transmission and potential constraints on vaccine effectiveness. We report the isolation of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs imported into Australia belonging to the B.1.351 lineage, first described in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), and the B.1.1.7 lineage originally reported in the United Kingdom, and directly compare the replication kinetics of these two VOCs in Vero E6 cells. In this analysis, we also investigated a B.1.1.7 VOC (QLD1516/2021) carrying a 7-nucleotide deletion in the open reading frame 7a (ORF7a) gene, likely truncating and rendering the ORF7a protein of this virus defective. We demonstrate that the replication of the B.1.351 VOC (QLD1520/2020) in Vero E6 cells can be detected earlier than the B.1.1.7 VOCs (QLD1516/2021 and QLD1517/2021), before peaking at 48 h post infection (p.i.), with significantly higher levels of virus progeny. Whilst replication of the ORF7a defective isolate QLD1516/2021 was delayed longer than the other viruses, slightly more viral progeny was produced by the mutant compared to the unmutated isolate QLD1517/2021 at 72 h p.i. Collectively, these findings contribute to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 replication and evolutionary dynamics, which have important implications in the development of future vaccination, antiviral therapies, and epidemiological control strategies for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa T. Pyke
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Neelima Nair
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Andrew F. van den Hurk
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Peter Burtonclay
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Son Nguyen
- Public Health Microbiology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia;
| | - Jean Barcelon
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Carol Kistler
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Sanmarié Schlebusch
- Public and Environmental Health, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia;
- Pathology Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jamie McMahon
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
| | - Frederick Moore
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia; (N.N.); (A.F.v.d.H.); (P.B.); (J.B.); (C.K.); (J.M.); (F.M.)
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24
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Jungreis I, Sealfon R, Kellis M. SARS-CoV-2 gene content and COVID-19 mutation impact by comparing 44 Sarbecovirus genomes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2642. [PMID: 33976134 PMCID: PMC8113528 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22905-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite its clinical importance, the SARS-CoV-2 gene set remains unresolved, hindering dissection of COVID-19 biology. We use comparative genomics to provide a high-confidence protein-coding gene set, characterize evolutionary constraint, and prioritize functional mutations. We select 44 Sarbecovirus genomes at ideally-suited evolutionary distances, and quantify protein-coding evolutionary signatures and overlapping constraint. We find strong protein-coding signatures for ORFs 3a, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, 9b, and a novel alternate-frame gene, ORF3c, whereas ORFs 2b, 3d/3d-2, 3b, 9c, and 10 lack protein-coding signatures or convincing experimental evidence of protein-coding function. Furthermore, we show no other conserved protein-coding genes remain to be discovered. Mutation analysis suggests ORF8 contributes to within-individual fitness but not person-to-person transmission. Cross-strain and within-strain evolutionary pressures agree, except for fewer-than-expected within-strain mutations in nsp3 and S1, and more-than-expected in nucleocapsid, which shows a cluster of mutations in a predicted B-cell epitope, suggesting immune-avoidance selection. Evolutionary histories of residues disrupted by spike-protein substitutions D614G, N501Y, E484K, and K417N/T provide clues about their biology, and we catalog likely-functional co-inherited mutations. Previously reported RNA-modification sites show no enrichment for conservation. Here we report a high-confidence gene set and evolutionary-history annotations providing valuable resources and insights on SARS-CoV-2 biology, mutations, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irwin Jungreis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Rachel Sealfon
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Manolis Kellis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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25
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Pohl MO, Busnadiego I, Kufner V, Glas I, Karakus U, Schmutz S, Zaheri M, Abela I, Trkola A, Huber M, Stertz S, Hale BG. SARS-CoV-2 variants reveal features critical for replication in primary human cells. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001006. [PMID: 33760807 PMCID: PMC8021179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Since entering the human population, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 [COVID-19]) has spread worldwide, causing >100 million infections and >2 million deaths. While large-scale sequencing efforts have identified numerous genetic variants in SARS-CoV-2 during its circulation, it remains largely unclear whether many of these changes impact adaptation, replication, or transmission of the virus. Here, we characterized 14 different low-passage replication-competent human SARS-CoV-2 isolates representing all major European clades observed during the first pandemic wave in early 2020. By integrating viral sequencing data from patient material, virus stocks, and passaging experiments, together with kinetic virus replication data from nonhuman Vero-CCL81 cells and primary differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells (BEpCs), we observed several SARS-CoV-2 features that associate with distinct phenotypes. Notably, naturally occurring variants in Orf3a (Q57H) and nsp2 (T85I) were associated with poor replication in Vero-CCL81 cells but not in BEpCs, while SARS-CoV-2 isolates expressing the Spike D614G variant generally exhibited enhanced replication abilities in BEpCs. Strikingly, low-passage Vero-derived stock preparation of 3 SARS-CoV-2 isolates selected for substitutions at positions 5/6 of E and were highly attenuated in BEpCs, revealing a key cell-specific function to this region. Rare isolate-specific deletions were also observed in the Spike furin cleavage site during Vero-CCL81 passage, but these were rapidly selected against in BEpCs, underscoring the importance of this site for SARS-CoV-2 replication in primary human cells. Overall, our study uncovers sequence features in SARS-CoV-2 variants that determine cell-specific replication and highlights the need to monitor SARS-CoV-2 stocks carefully when phenotyping newly emerging variants or potential variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie O. Pohl
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Idoia Busnadiego
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Verena Kufner
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irina Glas
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Life Science Zurich Graduate School, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Umut Karakus
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Schmutz
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maryam Zaheri
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irene Abela
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Trkola
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Huber
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silke Stertz
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin G. Hale
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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26
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O'Keefe S, Roboti P, Duah KB, Zong G, Schneider H, Shi WQ, High S. Ipomoeassin-F inhibits the in vitro biogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its host cell membrane receptor. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:jcs257758. [PMID: 33468620 PMCID: PMC7904091 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.257758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to produce proteins essential for their propagation, many pathogenic human viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease, commandeer host biosynthetic machineries and mechanisms. Three major structural proteins, the spike, envelope and membrane proteins, are amongst several SARS-CoV-2 components synthesised at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of infected human cells prior to the assembly of new viral particles. Hence, the inhibition of membrane protein synthesis at the ER is an attractive strategy for reducing the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 and other obligate viral pathogens. Using an in vitro system, we demonstrate that the small molecule inhibitor ipomoeassin F (Ipom-F) potently blocks the Sec61-mediated ER membrane translocation and/or insertion of three therapeutic protein targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection; the viral spike and ORF8 proteins together with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the host cell plasma membrane receptor. Our findings highlight the potential for using ER protein translocation inhibitors such as Ipom-F as host-targeting, broad-spectrum antiviral agents.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah O'Keefe
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Peristera Roboti
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Kwabena B Duah
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
| | - Guanghui Zong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Hayden Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
| | - Wei Q Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
| | - Stephen High
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
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27
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O’Keefe S, Roboti P, Duah KB, Zong G, Schneider H, Shi WQ, High S. Ipomoeassin-F inhibits the in vitro biogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its host cell membrane receptor. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021:2020.11.24.390039. [PMID: 33269350 PMCID: PMC7709170 DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.24.390039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In order to produce proteins essential for their propagation, many pathogenic human viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease, commandeer host biosynthetic machineries and mechanisms. Three major structural proteins, the spike, envelope and membrane proteins, are amongst several SARS-CoV-2 components synthesised at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of infected human cells prior to the assembly of new viral particles. Hence, the inhibition of membrane protein synthesis at the ER is an attractive strategy for reducing the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 and other obligate viral pathogens. Using an in vitro system, we demonstrate that the small molecule inhibitor ipomoeassin F (Ipom-F) potently blocks the Sec61-mediated ER membrane translocation/insertion of three therapeutic protein targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection; the viral spike and ORF8 proteins together with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the host cell plasma membrane receptor. Our findings highlight the potential for using ER protein translocation inhibitors such as Ipom-F as host-targeting, broad-spectrum, antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah O’Keefe
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Peristera Roboti
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Kwabena B. Duah
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306, USA
| | - Guanghui Zong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Hayden Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306, USA
| | - Wei Q. Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306, USA
| | - Stephen High
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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28
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Ziv O, Price J, Shalamova L, Kamenova T, Goodfellow I, Weber F, Miska EA. The Short- and Long-Range RNA-RNA Interactome of SARS-CoV-2. Mol Cell 2020; 80:1067-1077.e5. [PMID: 33259809 PMCID: PMC7643667 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Coronaviridae is a family of positive-strand RNA viruses that includes SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bearing the largest single-stranded RNA genomes in nature, coronaviruses are critically dependent on long-distance RNA-RNA interactions to regulate the viral transcription and replication pathways. Here we experimentally mapped the in vivo RNA-RNA interactome of the full-length SARS-CoV-2 genome and subgenomic mRNAs. We uncovered a network of RNA-RNA interactions spanning tens of thousands of nucleotides. These interactions reveal that the viral genome and subgenomes adopt alternative topologies inside cells and engage in different interactions with host RNAs. Notably, we discovered a long-range RNA-RNA interaction, the FSE-arch, that encircles the programmed ribosomal frameshifting element. The FSE-arch is conserved in the related MERS-CoV and is under purifying selection. Our findings illuminate RNA structure-based mechanisms governing replication, discontinuous transcription, and translation of coronaviruses and will aid future efforts to develop antiviral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Ziv
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.
| | - Jonathan Price
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Lyudmila Shalamova
- Institute for Virology, FB10-Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - Tsveta Kamenova
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Ian Goodfellow
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK
| | - Friedemann Weber
- Institute for Virology, FB10-Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, 35392 Gießen, Germany.
| | - Eric A Miska
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
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29
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Jungreis I, Sealfon R, Kellis M. SARS-CoV-2 gene content and COVID-19 mutation impact by comparing 44 Sarbecovirus genomes. RESEARCH SQUARE 2020:rs.3.rs-80345. [PMID: 33024961 PMCID: PMC7536840 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-80345/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite its overwhelming clinical importance, the SARS-CoV-2 gene set remains unresolved, hindering dissection of COVID-19 biology. Here, we use comparative genomics to provide a high-confidence protein-coding gene set, characterize protein-level and nucleotide-level evolutionary constraint, and prioritize functional mutations from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We select 44 complete Sarbecovirus genomes at evolutionary distances ideally-suited for protein-coding and non-coding element identification, create whole-genome alignments, and quantify protein-coding evolutionary signatures and overlapping constraint. We find strong protein-coding signatures for all named genes and for 3a, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, 9b, and also ORF3c, a novel alternate-frame gene. By contrast, ORF10, and overlapping-ORFs 9c, 3b, and 3d lack protein-coding signatures or convincing experimental evidence and are not protein-coding. Furthermore, we show no other protein-coding genes remain to be discovered. Cross-strain and within-strain evolutionary pressures largely agree at the gene, amino-acid, and nucleotide levels, with some notable exceptions, including fewer-than-expected mutations in nsp3 and Spike subunit S1, and more-than-expected mutations in Nucleocapsid. The latter also shows a cluster of amino-acid-changing variants in otherwise-conserved residues in a predicted B-cell epitope, which may indicate positive selection for immune avoidance. Several Spike-protein mutations, including D614G, which has been associated with increased transmission, disrupt otherwise-perfectly-conserved amino acids, and could be novel adaptations to human hosts. The resulting high-confidence gene set and evolutionary-history annotations provide valuable resources and insights on COVID-19 biology, mutations, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irwin Jungreis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Rachel Sealfon
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY
| | - Manolis Kellis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
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30
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Nelson CW, Ardern Z, Goldberg TL, Meng C, Kuo CH, Ludwig C, Kolokotronis SO, Wei X. Dynamically evolving novel overlapping gene as a factor in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. eLife 2020; 9:e59633. [PMID: 33001029 PMCID: PMC7655111 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the emergence of novel viruses requires an accurate and comprehensive annotation of their genomes. Overlapping genes (OLGs) are common in viruses and have been associated with pandemics but are still widely overlooked. We identify and characterize ORF3d, a novel OLG in SARS-CoV-2 that is also present in Guangxi pangolin-CoVs but not other closely related pangolin-CoVs or bat-CoVs. We then document evidence of ORF3d translation, characterize its protein sequence, and conduct an evolutionary analysis at three levels: between taxa (21 members of Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus), between human hosts (3978 SARS-CoV-2 consensus sequences), and within human hosts (401 deeply sequenced SARS-CoV-2 samples). ORF3d has been independently identified and shown to elicit a strong antibody response in COVID-19 patients. However, it has been misclassified as the unrelated gene ORF3b, leading to confusion. Our results liken ORF3d to other accessory genes in emerging viruses and highlight the importance of OLGs.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibody Specificity
- Antigens, Viral/biosynthesis
- Antigens, Viral/genetics
- Antigens, Viral/immunology
- Betacoronavirus/genetics
- Betacoronavirus/pathogenicity
- Betacoronavirus/physiology
- COVID-19
- China/epidemiology
- Chiroptera/virology
- Coronavirus/genetics
- Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology
- Coronavirus Infections/virology
- Epitopes/genetics
- Epitopes/immunology
- Europe/epidemiology
- Eutheria/virology
- Evolution, Molecular
- Gene Expression Regulation, Viral
- Genes, Overlapping
- Genes, Viral
- Genetic Variation
- Haplotypes/genetics
- Host Specificity/genetics
- Humans
- Models, Molecular
- Mutation
- Open Reading Frames/genetics
- Pandemics
- Phylogeny
- Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology
- Pneumonia, Viral/virology
- Protein Biosynthesis
- Protein Conformation
- RNA, Viral/genetics
- SARS-CoV-2
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
- Viral Proteins/genetics
- Viral Proteins/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase W Nelson
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkUnited States
| | - Zachary Ardern
- Chair for Microbial Ecology, Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Tony L Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
- Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Chen Meng
- Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Chen-Hao Kuo
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Christina Ludwig
- Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityBrooklynUnited States
- Institute for Genomic Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityBrooklynUnited States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityBrooklynUnited States
| | - Xinzhu Wei
- Departments of Integrative Biology and Statistics, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Departments of Computer Science, Human Genetics, and Computational Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
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31
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Finkel Y, Mizrahi O, Nachshon A, Weingarten-Gabbay S, Morgenstern D, Yahalom-Ronen Y, Tamir H, Achdout H, Stein D, Israeli O, Beth-Din A, Melamed S, Weiss S, Israely T, Paran N, Schwartz M, Stern-Ginossar N. The coding capacity of SARS-CoV-2. Nature 2020; 589:125-130. [PMID: 32906143 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2739-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 363] [Impact Index Per Article: 90.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic1. To understand the pathogenicity and antigenic potential of SARS-CoV-2 and to develop therapeutic tools, it is essential to profile the full repertoire of its expressed proteins. The current map of SARS-CoV-2 coding capacity is based on computational predictions and relies on homology with other coronaviruses. As the protein complement varies among coronaviruses, especially in regard to the variety of accessory proteins, it is crucial to characterize the specific range of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in an unbiased and open-ended manner. Here, using a suite of ribosome-profiling techniques2-4, we present a high-resolution map of coding regions in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, which enables us to accurately quantify the expression of canonical viral open reading frames (ORFs) and to identify 23 unannotated viral ORFs. These ORFs include upstream ORFs that are likely to have a regulatory role, several in-frame internal ORFs within existing ORFs, resulting in N-terminally truncated products, as well as internal out-of-frame ORFs, which generate novel polypeptides. We further show that viral mRNAs are not translated more efficiently than host mRNAs; instead, virus translation dominates host translation because of the high levels of viral transcripts. Our work provides a resource that will form the basis of future functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Finkel
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Orel Mizrahi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aharon Nachshon
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shira Weingarten-Gabbay
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Morgenstern
- de Botton Institute for Protein Profiling, The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalised Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yfat Yahalom-Ronen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Hadas Tamir
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Hagit Achdout
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Dana Stein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ofir Israeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Adi Beth-Din
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Shay Weiss
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Michal Schwartz
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Noam Stern-Ginossar
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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32
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Jungreis I, Sealfon R, Kellis M. SARS-CoV-2 gene content and COVID-19 mutation impact by comparing 44 Sarbecovirus genomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020:2020.06.02.130955. [PMID: 32577641 PMCID: PMC7302193 DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.02.130955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Despite its overwhelming clinical importance, the SARS-CoV-2 gene set remains unresolved, hindering dissection of COVID-19 biology. Here, we use comparative genomics to provide a high-confidence protein-coding gene set, characterize protein-level and nucleotide-level evolutionary constraint, and prioritize functional mutations from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We select 44 complete Sarbecovirus genomes at evolutionary distances ideally-suited for protein-coding and non-coding element identification, create whole-genome alignments, and quantify protein-coding evolutionary signatures and overlapping constraint. We find strong protein-coding signatures for all named genes and for 3a, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, 9b, and also ORF3c, a novel alternate-frame gene. By contrast, ORF10, and overlapping-ORFs 9c, 3b, and 3d lack protein-coding signatures or convincing experimental evidence and are not protein-coding. Furthermore, we show no other protein-coding genes remain to be discovered. Cross-strain and within-strain evolutionary pressures largely agree at the gene, amino-acid, and nucleotide levels, with some notable exceptions, including fewer-than-expected mutations in nsp3 and Spike subunit S1, and more-than-expected mutations in Nucleocapsid. The latter also shows a cluster of amino-acid-changing variants in otherwise-conserved residues in a predicted B-cell epitope, which may indicate positive selection for immune avoidance. Several Spike-protein mutations, including D614G, which has been associated with increased transmission, disrupt otherwise-perfectly-conserved amino acids, and could be novel adaptations to human hosts. The resulting high-confidence gene set and evolutionary-history annotations provide valuable resources and insights on COVID-19 biology, mutations, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irwin Jungreis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Rachel Sealfon
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY
| | - Manolis Kellis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
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