1
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Apú N, Madrigal-Redondo G, Vega MH, Corrales-Aguilar E, Segura-Ulate I. Development of an instrument-free and low-cost ELISA dot-blot test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Open Life Sci 2023; 18:20220577. [PMID: 37589006 PMCID: PMC10426726 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0577] [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: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Most laboratory tests to detect the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies use enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) or chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA); however, equipment for these immunoassays is unavailable in many areas of low- and middle-income countries. Rapid lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) tests are an equipment-free option, but their high price may make them less suitable for conducting seroprevalence surveys. Here, we describe a simple dual antigen ELISA dot-blot test to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies with high sensitivity (94-98%) and specificity (92-100%), compared to commercially available ELISA and CLIA options. Additionally, this ELISA dot-blot test can be completed in one hour using minimal laboratory equipment. Importantly, this immunoassay is significantly more affordable than most LFIA tests available on the global market. The dot-blot strips may be stored for up to 7 days under freezing conditions. This ELISA dot-blot test is a cost-effective option for conducting seroprevalence screenings in areas lacking ELISA or CLIA facilities, compared to LFIA tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navilla Apú
- Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Germán Madrigal-Redondo
- Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - María Herrera Vega
- Facultad de Microbiología, Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Eugenia Corrales-Aguilar
- Facultad de Microbiología, Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Ismael Segura-Ulate
- Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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2
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Kumar P, Kumar A, Garg N, Giri R. An insight into SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein interaction with spike, envelope, and nucleocapsid proteins. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:1062-1071. [PMID: 34913847 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2016490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Intraviral protein-protein interactions are crucial for replication, pathogenicity, and viral assembly. Among these, virus assembly is a critical step as it regulates the arrangements of viral structural proteins and helps in the encapsulation of genomic material. SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins play an essential role in the self-rearrangement, RNA encapsulation, and mature virus particle formation. In SARS-CoV, the membrane protein interacts with the envelope and spike protein in Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Complex (ERGIC) to form an assembly in the lipid bilayer, followed by membrane-ribonucleoprotein (nucleocapsid) interaction. In this study, we tried to understand the interaction of membrane protein's interaction with envelope, spike, and nucleocapsid proteins using protein-protein docking. Further, simulation studies were performed up to 100 ns to examine the stability of protein-protein complexes of Membrane-Envelope, Membrane-Spike, and Membrane-Nucleocapsid proteins. Prime MM-GBSA showed high binding energy calculations for the simulated structures than the docked complex. The interactions identified in our study will be of great importance, as it provides valuable insight into the protein-protein complex, which could be the potential drug targets for future studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Kumar
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Amit Kumar
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Neha Garg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rajanish Giri
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, VPO Kamand, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India
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3
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Tugaeva KV, Sysoev AA, Kapitonova AA, Smith JLR, Zhu P, Cooley RB, Antson AA, Sluchanko NN. Human 14-3-3 Proteins Site-selectively Bind the Mutational Hotspot Region of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein Modulating its Phosphoregulation. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167891. [PMID: 36427566 PMCID: PMC9683861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Phosphorylation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein recruits human cytosolic 14-3-3 proteins playing a well-recognized role in replication of many viruses. Here we use genetic code expansion to demonstrate that 14-3-3 binding is triggered by phosphorylation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein at either of two pseudo-repeats centered at Ser197 and Thr205. According to fluorescence anisotropy measurements, the pT205-motif,presentin SARS-CoV-2 but not in SARS-CoV, is preferred over the pS197-motif by all seven human 14-3-3 isoforms, which collectively display an unforeseen pT205/pS197 peptide binding selectivity hierarchy. Crystal structures demonstrate that pS197 and pT205 are mutually exclusive 14-3-3-binding sites, whereas SAXS and biochemical data obtained on the full protein-protein complex indicate that 14-3-3 binding occludes the Ser/Arg-rich region of the nucleoprotein, inhibiting its dephosphorylation. This Ser/Arg-rich region is highly prone to mutations, as exemplified by the Omicron and Delta variants, with our data suggesting that the strength of 14-3-3/nucleoprotein interaction can be linked with the replicative fitness of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina V Tugaeva
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey A Sysoev
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna A Kapitonova
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Jake L R Smith
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Phillip Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Richard B Cooley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Alfred A Antson
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
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4
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Stocks BB, Thibeault MP, L’Abbé D, Stuible M, Durocher Y, Melanson JE. Production and Characterization of a SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Reference Material. ACS MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AU 2022; 2:620-628. [PMID: 36785774 PMCID: PMC9662649 DOI: 10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.2c00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Rapid antigen tests have become a widely used COVID-19 diagnostic tool with demand accelerating in response to the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Hundreds of such test kits are approved for use worldwide, predominantly reporting on the presence of the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein, yet the comparability among manufacturers remains unclear and the need for reference standards is recognized. To address this lack of standardization, the National Research Council Canada has developed a SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein reference material solution, NCAP-1. Reference value determination for N protein content was realized by amino acid analysis (AAA) via double isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ID-MS/MS) following acid hydrolysis of the protein, in conjunction with UV spectrophotometry based on tryptophan and tyrosine absorbance at 280 nm. The homogeneity of the material was established through spectrophotometric absorbance readings at 280 nm. The molar concentration of the N protein in NCAP-1 was 10.0 ± 1.9 μmol L-1 (k = 2, 95% confidence interval). Reference mass concentration and mass fraction values were subsequently calculated using the protein molecular weight and density of the NCAP-1 solution. Changes to protein higher-order structure, probed by size-exclusion liquid chromatography (LC-SEC) with UV detection, were used to evaluate transportation and storage stabilities. LC-SEC revealed nearly 90% of the N protein in the material is present as a mixture of hexamers and tetramers. The remaining low molecular weight species (<30 kDa) were interrogated by top-down mass spectrometry and determined to be autolysis products homologous to those previously documented for N protein of the original SARS-CoV [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.2008t, 377, 429-433].
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley B. Stocks
- Metrology, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON K1A
0R6, Canada
| | - Marie-Pier Thibeault
- Metrology, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON K1A
0R6, Canada
| | - Denis L’Abbé
- Human
Health Therapeutics, National Research Council
Canada, 6100 Royalmount
Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Matthew Stuible
- Human
Health Therapeutics, National Research Council
Canada, 6100 Royalmount
Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Yves Durocher
- Human
Health Therapeutics, National Research Council
Canada, 6100 Royalmount
Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Jeremy E. Melanson
- Metrology, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON K1A
0R6, Canada
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5
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Yaron TM, Heaton BE, Levy TM, Johnson JL, Jordan TX, Cohen BM, Kerelsky A, Lin TY, Liberatore KM, Bulaon DK, Van Nest SJ, Koundouros N, Kastenhuber ER, Mercadante MN, Shobana-Ganesh K, He L, Schwartz RE, Chen S, Weinstein H, Elemento O, Piskounova E, Nilsson-Payant BE, Lee G, Trimarco JD, Burke KN, Hamele CE, Chaparian RR, Harding AT, Tata A, Zhu X, Tata PR, Smith CM, Possemato AP, Tkachev SL, Hornbeck PV, Beausoleil SA, Anand SK, Aguet F, Getz G, Davidson AD, Heesom K, Kavanagh-Williamson M, Matthews DA, tenOever BR, Cantley LC, Blenis J, Heaton NS. Host protein kinases required for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphorylation and viral replication. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabm0808. [PMID: 36282911 PMCID: PMC9830954 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abm0808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Multiple coronaviruses have emerged independently in the past 20 years that cause lethal human diseases. Although vaccine development targeting these viruses has been accelerated substantially, there remain patients requiring treatment who cannot be vaccinated or who experience breakthrough infections. Understanding the common host factors necessary for the life cycles of coronaviruses may reveal conserved therapeutic targets. Here, we used the known substrate specificities of mammalian protein kinases to deconvolute the sequence of phosphorylation events mediated by three host protein kinase families (SRPK, GSK-3, and CK1) that coordinately phosphorylate a cluster of serine and threonine residues in the viral N protein, which is required for viral replication. We also showed that loss or inhibition of SRPK1/2, which we propose initiates the N protein phosphorylation cascade, compromised the viral replication cycle. Because these phosphorylation sites are highly conserved across coronaviruses, inhibitors of these protein kinases not only may have therapeutic potential against COVID-19 but also may be broadly useful against coronavirus-mediated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomer M. Yaron
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Computational Biology & Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Brook E. Heaton
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Corresponding author. (N.S.H.); (J.B.); (L.C.C.); (B.R.t.); (B.E.H.)
| | | | - Jared L. Johnson
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tristan X. Jordan
- New York University, Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Benjamin M. Cohen
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Alexander Kerelsky
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Ting-Yu Lin
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology Program, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Katarina M. Liberatore
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Danielle K. Bulaon
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Samantha J. Van Nest
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Nikos Koundouros
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Edward R. Kastenhuber
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Marisa N. Mercadante
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Kripa Shobana-Ganesh
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology Program, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Long He
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Robert E. Schwartz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shuibing Chen
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Elena Piskounova
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Gina Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA 92868, USA
| | - Joseph D. Trimarco
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kaitlyn N. Burke
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Cait E. Hamele
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ryan R. Chaparian
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Alfred T. Harding
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Aleksandra Tata
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xinyu Zhu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Purushothama Rao Tata
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Clare M. Smith
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - François Aguet
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Gad Getz
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Cancer Center and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andrew D. Davidson
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Kate Heesom
- Proteomics Facility, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | | | - David A. Matthews
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Benjamin R. tenOever
- New York University, Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Corresponding author. (N.S.H.); (J.B.); (L.C.C.); (B.R.t.); (B.E.H.)
| | - Lewis C. Cantley
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.,Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Corresponding author. (N.S.H.); (J.B.); (L.C.C.); (B.R.t.); (B.E.H.)
| | - John Blenis
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Corresponding author. (N.S.H.); (J.B.); (L.C.C.); (B.R.t.); (B.E.H.)
| | - Nicholas S. Heaton
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Corresponding author. (N.S.H.); (J.B.); (L.C.C.); (B.R.t.); (B.E.H.)
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6
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O’Donnell KL, Gourdine T, Fletcher P, Clancy CS, Marzi A. Protection from COVID-19 with a VSV-based vaccine expressing the spike and nucleocapsid proteins. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1025500. [PMID: 36353642 PMCID: PMC9638159 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1025500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful vaccine efforts countering the COVID-19 pandemic are centralized around the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein as viral antigen and have greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. Since the start of this pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved resulting in new variants of concern (VOC) challenging the vaccine-established immunologic memory. We show that vaccination with a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 S plus the conserved nucleocapsid (N) protein was protective in a hamster challenge model when a single dose was administered 28 or 10 days prior to challenge, respectively. In this study, only intranasal vaccination resulted in protection against challenge with multiple VOC highlighting that the addition of the N protein indeed improved protective efficacy. This data demonstrates the ability of a VSV-based dual-antigen vaccine to reduce viral shedding and protect from disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 VOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle L. O’Donnell
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Tylisha Gourdine
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Paige Fletcher
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Chad S. Clancy
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Andrea Marzi
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrea Marzi,
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7
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Mohler K, Moen J, Rogulina S, Rinehart J. Cell type-independent profiling of interactions between intracellular pathogens and the human phosphoproteome. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.09.27.509702. [PMID: 36203552 PMCID: PMC9536036 DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.27.509702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between proteins from intracellular pathogens and host proteins in an infected cell are often mediated by post-translational modifications encoded in the host proteome. Identifying protein modifications, such as phosphorylation, that dictate these interactions remains a defining challenge in unraveling the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. We have developed a platform in engineered bacteria that displays over 110,000 phosphorylated human proteins coupled to a fluorescent reporter system capable of identifying the host-pathogen interactome of phosphoproteins (H-PIP). This resource broadly enables cell-type independent interrogation and discovery of proteins from intracellular pathogens capable of binding phosphorylated human proteins. As an example of the H-PIP platform, we generated a unique, high-resolution SARS-CoV-2 interaction network which expanded our knowledge of viral protein function and identified understudied areas of host pathology.
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8
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Feng X, Zhang X, Jiang S, Tang Y, Cheng C, Krishna PA, Wang X, Dai J, Zhao D, Xia T, Zeng J. A DNA-based non-infectious replicon system to study SARS-CoV-2 RNA synthesis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:5193-5202. [PMID: 36059866 PMCID: PMC9424123 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.08.044] [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: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has seriously affected public health around the world. In-depth studies on the pathogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 is urgently necessary for pandemic prevention. However, most laboratory studies on SARS-CoV-2 have to be carried out in bio-safety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories, greatly restricting the progress of relevant experiments. In this study, we used a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) method to assemble a SARS-CoV-2 replication and transcription system in Vero E6 cells without virion envelope formation, thus avoiding the risk of coronavirus exposure. Furthermore, an improved real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) approach was used to distinguish the replication of full-length replicon RNAs and transcription of subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs). Using the SARS-CoV-2 replicon, we demonstrated that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 facilitates the transcription of sgRNAs in the discontinuous synthesis process. Moreover, two high-frequency mutants of N protein, R203K and S194L, can obviously enhance the transcription level of the replicon, hinting that these mutations likely allow SARS-CoV-2 to spread and reproduce more quickly. In addition, remdesivir and chloroquine, two well-known drugs demonstrated to be effective against coronavirus in previous studies, also inhibited the transcription of our replicon, indicating the potential applications of this system in antiviral drug discovery. Overall, we developed a bio-safe and valuable replicon system of SARS-CoV-2 that is useful to study the mechanisms of viral RNA synthesis and has potential in novel antiviral drug screening.
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9
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A Unique Trinucleotide-Bloc Mutation-Based Two SARS-CoV-2 Genotypes with Potential Pathogenic Impacts. Adv Virol 2022; 2022:5618222. [PMID: 35899232 PMCID: PMC9314171 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5618222] [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: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, is acquiring new mutations in its genome. Although some mutations provide benefits to the virus against human immune response, others may result in their reduced pathogenicity and virulence. By analyzing more than 3000 high-coverage, complete sequences deposited in the GISAID database up to April 2020, here I report the uniqueness of the 28881–28883: GGG > AAC trinucleotide-bloc mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome that results in two substrains, described here as SARS-CoV-2g (28881–28883: GGG genotype) and SARS-CoV-2a (28881–28883: AAC genotype). Computational analysis and literature review suggest that this bloc mutation would bring 203–204: RG (arginine-glycine)>KR (lysine-arginine) amino acid changes in the nucleocapsid (N) protein affecting the SR (serine-arginine)-rich motif of the protein, a critical region for the transcription of viral RNA and replication of the virus. Thus, 28881–28883: GGG > AAC bloc mutation is expected to modulate the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2. These analyses suggest that SARS-CoV-2 has evolved into SARS-CoV-2a affecting COVID-19 infectivity and severity. To confirm these assumptions, retrospective and prospective epidemiological studies should be conducted in different countries to understand the course of pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2a and SARS-CoV-2g. Laboratory research should focus on the bloc mutation to understand its true impacts on the course of the pandemic. Potential drug and vaccine development should also keep the 28881–28883 region of the N protein under consideration.
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10
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Zhang B, Tian J, Zhang Q, Xie Y, Wang K, Qiu S, Lu K, Liu Y. Comparing the Nucleocapsid Proteins of Human Coronaviruses: Structure, Immunoregulation, Vaccine, and Targeted Drug. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:761173. [PMID: 35573742 PMCID: PMC9099148 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.761173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The seven pathogenic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) include HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1, which usually cause mild upper respiratory tract diseases, and SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, which cause a severe acute respiratory syndrome. The nucleocapsid (N) protein, as the dominant structural protein from coronaviruses that bind to the genomic RNA, participates in various vital activities after virus invasion and will probably become a promising target of antiviral drug design. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review of human coronavirus’ pathogenic mechanism and therapeutic strategies is necessary for the control of the pandemic. Here, we give a systematic summary of the structures, immunoregulation, and potential vaccines and targeted drugs of the HCoVs N protein. First, we provide a general introduction to the fundamental structures and molecular function of N protein. Next, we outline the N protein mediated immune regulation and pathogenesis mechanism. Finally, we comprehensively summarize the development of potential N protein-targeted drugs and candidate vaccines to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We believe this review provides insight into the virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 as well as support for further study on epidemic control of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- College of Basic Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- *Correspondence: Yang Liu, ; Keyu Lu, ; Bo Zhang,
| | - Junjie Tian
- College of Basic Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Qintao Zhang
- College of Basic Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Yan Xie
- School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Kejia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences/Institute of Agro-bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Shuyi Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences/Institute of Agro-bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Keyu Lu
- College of Basic Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- *Correspondence: Yang Liu, ; Keyu Lu, ; Bo Zhang,
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences/Institute of Agro-bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- *Correspondence: Yang Liu, ; Keyu Lu, ; Bo Zhang,
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11
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Rahman S, Shishir MA, Hosen MI, Khan MJ, Arefin A, Khandaker AM. The status and analysis of common mutations found in the SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences from Bangladesh. GENE REPORTS 2022; 27:101608. [PMID: 35399222 PMCID: PMC8977224 DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2022.101608] [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: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Rapid emergence of covid-19 variants by continuous mutation made the world experience continuous waves of infections and as a result, a huge number of death-toll recorded so far. It is, therefore, very important to investigate the diversity and nature of the mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genomes. In this study, the common mutations occurred in the whole genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 variants of Bangladesh in a certain timeline were analyzed to better understand its status. Hence, a total of 78 complete genome sequences available in the NCBI database were obtained, aligned and further analyzed. Scattered Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified throughout the genome of variants and common SNPs such as: 241:C>T in the 5′UTR of Open Reading Frame 1A (ORF1A), 3037: C>T in Non-structural Protein 3 (NSP3), 14,408: C>T in ORF6 and 23,402: A>G, 23,403: A>G in Spike Protein (S) were observed, but all of them were synonymous mutations. About 97% of the studied genomes showed a block of tri-nucleotide alteration (GGG>AAC), the most common non-synonymous mutation in the 28,881–28,883 location of the genome. This block results in two amino acid changes (203–204: RG>KR) in the SR rich motif of the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2, introducing a lysine in between serine and arginine. The N protein structure of the mutant was predicted through protein modeling. However, no observable difference was found between the mutant and the reference (Wuhan) protein. Further, the protein stability changes upon mutations were analyzed using the I-Mutant2.0 tool. The alteration of the arginine to lysine at the amino acid position 203, showed reduction of entropy, suggesting a possible impact on the overall stability of the N protein. The estimation of the non-synonymous to synonymous substitution ratio (dN/dS) were analyzed for the common mutations and the results showed that the overall mean distance among the N-protein variants were statistically significant, supporting the non-synonymous nature of the mutations. The phylogenetic analysis of the selected 78 genomes, compared with the most common genomic variants of this virus across the globe showed a distinct cluster for the analyzed Bangladeshi sequences. Further studies are warranted for conferring any plausible association of these mutations with the clinical manifestation.
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Key Words
- +ssRNA, positive single-stranded RNA
- ACE2, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
- Block mutation
- CDK, Cyclin Dependent Kinases
- COX2, Cyclooxygenase 2
- CTD, C-terminal Domain
- CoVs, Coronaviruses
- Common mutations
- DGHS, General of Health Services
- ECM, Extracellular Matrix Protein
- ERGIC, ER-Golgi intermediate compartment
- GSK3, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
- IRF3, Interferon Regulatory Factor 3
- NFkB, Nuclear Factor kappa B
- NSP, Nonstructural Protein
- NTD, N-terminal Domain
- ORFs, Open Reading Frames
- PLP, Papain-like Protease
- RBD, Receptor-Binding Domain
- RTC, Replication–Transcription Complex
- RdRp, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
- SARS-CoV-2
- SNP, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism
- SR rich motif
- TMPRSS2, Transmembrane Protease Serine 2
- sgRNAs, Sub-genomic RNAs
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadniman Rahman
- Branch of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Ismail Hosen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Miftahul Jannat Khan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Ashfaqul Muid Khandaker
- Branch of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
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12
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Alam ASMRU, Islam OK, Hasan MS, Islam MR, Mahmud S, Al‐Emran HM, Jahid IK, Crandall KA, Hossain MA. Dominant clade-featured SARS-CoV-2 co-occurring mutations reveal plausible epistasis: An in silico based hypothetical model. J Med Virol 2022; 94:1035-1049. [PMID: 34676891 PMCID: PMC8661685 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into eight fundamental clades with four of these clades (G, GH, GR, and GV) globally prevalent in 2020. To explain plausible epistatic effects of the signature co-occurring mutations of these circulating clades on viral replication and transmission fitness, we proposed a hypothetical model using in silico approach. Molecular docking and dynamics analyses showed the higher infectiousness of a spike mutant through more favorable binding of G614 with the elastase-2. RdRp mutation p.P323L significantly increased genome-wide mutations (p < 0.0001), allowing for more flexible RdRp (mutated)-NSP8 interaction that may accelerate replication. Superior RNA stability and structural variation at NSP3:C241T might impact protein, RNA interactions, or both. Another silent 5'-UTR:C241T mutation might affect translational efficiency and viral packaging. These four G-clade-featured co-occurring mutations might increase viral replication. Sentinel GH-clade ORF3a:p.Q57H variants constricted the ion-channel through intertransmembrane-domain interaction of cysteine(C81)-histidine(H57). The GR-clade N:p.RG203-204KR would stabilize RNA interaction by a more flexible and hypo-phosphorylated SR-rich region. GV-clade viruses seemingly gained the evolutionary advantage of the confounding factors; nevertheless, N:p.A220V might modulate RNA binding with no phenotypic effect. Our hypothetical model needs further retrospective and prospective studies to understand detailed molecular events and their relationship to the fitness of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ovinu Kibria Islam
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Md. Shazid Hasan
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Mir Raihanul Islam
- Division of Poverty, Health, and NutritionInternational Food Policy Research InstituteBangladesh
| | - Shafi Mahmud
- Department Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
| | - Hassan M. Al‐Emran
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Iqbal Kabir Jahid
- Department of MicrobiologyJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
| | - Keith A. Crandall
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Computational Biology Institute, Milken Institute School of Public HealthThe George Washington UniversityWashington DCUSA
| | - M. Anwar Hossain
- Office of the Vice ChancellorJashore University of Science and TechnologyJashoreBangladesh
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of DhakaDhakaBangladesh
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13
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Munis AM, Andersson M, Mobbs A, Hyde SC, Gill DR. Genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in Oxford during United Kingdom's first national lockdown. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21484. [PMID: 34728747 PMCID: PMC8564533 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01022-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological efforts to model the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are crucial to understanding and containing current and future outbreaks and to inform public health responses. Mutations that occur in viral genomes can alter virulence during outbreaks by increasing infection rates and helping the virus evade the host immune system. To understand the changes in viral genomic diversity and molecular epidemiology in Oxford during the first wave of infections in the United Kingdom, we analyzed 563 clinical SARS-CoV-2 samples via whole-genome sequencing using Nanopore MinION sequencing. Large-scale surveillance efforts during viral epidemics are likely to be confounded by the number of independent introductions of the viral strains into a region. To avoid such issues and better understand the selection-based changes occurring in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, we utilized local isolates collected during the UK's first national lockdown whereby personal interactions, international and national travel were considerably restricted and controlled. We were able to track the short-term evolution of the virus, detect the emergence of several mutations of concern or interest, and capture the viral diversity of the region. Overall, these results demonstrate genomic pathogen surveillance efforts have considerable utility in controlling the local spread of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altar M Munis
- Gene Medicine Group, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Alexander Mobbs
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen C Hyde
- Gene Medicine Group, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Deborah R Gill
- Gene Medicine Group, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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14
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Mehta P, Alle S, Chaturvedi A, Swaminathan A, Saifi S, Maurya R, Chattopadhyay P, Devi P, Chauhan R, Kanakan A, Vasudevan JS, Sethuraman R, Chidambaram S, Srivastava M, Chakravarthi A, Jacob J, Namagiri M, Konala V, Jha S, Priyakumar UD, Vinod PK, Pandey R. Clinico-Genomic Analysis Reveals Mutations Associated with COVID-19 Disease Severity: Possible Modulation by RNA Structure. Pathogens 2021; 10:1109. [PMID: 34578142 PMCID: PMC8464923 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) manifests a broad spectrum of clinical presentations, varying in severity from asymptomatic to mortality. As the viral infection spread, it evolved and developed into many variants of concern. Understanding the impact of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome on the clinical phenotype and associated co-morbidities is important for treatment and preventionas the pandemic progresses. Based on the mild, moderate, and severe clinical phenotypes, we analyzed the possible association between both, the clinical sub-phenotypes and genomic mutations with respect to the severity and outcome of the patients. We found a significant association between the requirement of respiratory support and co-morbidities. We also identified six SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations that were significantly correlated with severity and mortality in our cohort. We examined structural alterations at the RNA and protein levels as a result of three of these mutations: A26194T, T28854T, and C25611A, present in the Orf3a and N protein. The RNA secondary structure change due to the above mutations can be one of the modulators of the disease outcome. Our findings highlight the importance of integrative analysis in which clinical and genetic components of the disease are co-analyzed. In combination with genomic surveillance, the clinical outcome-associated mutations could help identify individuals for priority medical support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Mehta
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
| | - Shanmukh Alle
- Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, India; (S.A.); (A.C.); (R.C.)
| | - Anusha Chaturvedi
- Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, India; (S.A.); (A.C.); (R.C.)
| | - Aparna Swaminathan
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
| | - Sheeba Saifi
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
| | - Ranjeet Maurya
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Partha Chattopadhyay
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Priti Devi
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ruchi Chauhan
- Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, India; (S.A.); (A.C.); (R.C.)
| | - Akshay Kanakan
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
| | - Janani Srinivasa Vasudevan
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
| | - Ramanathan Sethuraman
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Subramanian Chidambaram
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Mashrin Srivastava
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Avinash Chakravarthi
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Johnny Jacob
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Madhuri Namagiri
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Varma Konala
- Intel Technology India Private Limited, Bangalore 530103, India; (R.S.); (S.C.); (M.S.); (A.C.); (J.J.); (M.N.); (V.K.)
| | - Sujeet Jha
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi 110017, India;
| | - U. Deva Priyakumar
- Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, India; (S.A.); (A.C.); (R.C.)
| | - P. K. Vinod
- Center for Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, India; (S.A.); (A.C.); (R.C.)
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110017, India; (P.M.); (A.S.); (S.S.); (R.M.); (P.C.); (P.D.); (A.K.); (J.S.V.)
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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15
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Miljanovic D, Milicevic O, Loncar A, Abazovic D, Despot D, Banko A. The First Molecular Characterization of Serbian SARS-CoV-2 Isolates From a Unique Early Second Wave in Europe. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:691154. [PMID: 34220784 PMCID: PMC8250835 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.691154] [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: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
March 6, 2020 is considered as the official date of the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia. In late spring and early summer 2020, Europe recorded a decline in the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsiding of the first wave. This trend lasted until the fall, when the second wave of the epidemic began to appear. Unlike the rest of Europe, Serbia was hit by the second wave of the epidemic a few months earlier. Already in June 2020, newly confirmed cases had risen exponentially. As the COVID-19 pandemic is the first pandemic in which there has been instant sharing of genomic information on isolates around the world, the aim of this study was to analyze whole SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from Serbia, to identify circulating variants/clade/lineages, and to explore site-specific mutational patterns in the unique early second wave of the European epidemic. This analysis of Serbian isolates represents the first publication from Balkan countries, which demonstrates the importance of specificities of local transmission especially when preventive measures differ among countries. One hundred forty-eight different genome variants among 41 Serbian isolates were detected in this study. One unique and seven extremely rare mutations were identified, with locally specific continuous dominance of the 20D clade. At the same time, amino acid substitutions of newly identified variants of concern were found in our isolates from October 2020. Future research should be focused on functional characterization of novel mutations in order to understand the exact role of these variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danijela Miljanovic
- Virology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ognjen Milicevic
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ana Loncar
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biocides and Medical Ecology, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dzihan Abazovic
- Biocell Hospital, Belgrade, Serbia
- Emergency Medical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
| | - Dragana Despot
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biocides and Medical Ecology, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ana Banko
- Virology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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16
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Chen SC, Olsthoorn RCL, Yu CH. Structural phylogenetic analysis reveals lineage-specific RNA repetitive structural motifs in all coronaviruses and associated variations in SARS-CoV-2. Virus Evol 2021; 7:veab021. [PMID: 34141447 PMCID: PMC8206606 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab021] [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] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In many single-stranded (ss) RNA viruses, the cis-acting packaging signal that confers selectivity genome packaging usually encompasses short structured RNA repeats. These structural units, termed repetitive structural motifs (RSMs), potentially mediate capsid assembly by specific RNA–protein interactions. However, general knowledge of the conservation and/or the diversity of RSMs in the positive-sense ssRNA coronaviruses (CoVs) is limited. By performing structural phylogenetic analysis, we identified a variety of RSMs in nearly all CoV genomic RNAs, which are exclusively located in the 5′-untranslated regions (UTRs) and/or in the inter-domain regions of poly-protein 1ab coding sequences in a lineage-specific manner. In all alpha- and beta-CoVs, except for Embecovirus spp, two to four copies of 5′-gUUYCGUc-3′ RSMs displaying conserved hexa-loop sequences were generally identified in Stem-loop 5 (SL5) located in the 5′-UTRs of genomic RNAs. In Embecovirus spp., however, two to eight copies of 5′-agc-3′/guAAu RSMs were found in the coding regions of non-structural protein (NSP) 3 and/or NSP15 in open reading frame (ORF) 1ab. In gamma- and delta-CoVs, other types of RSMs were found in several clustered structural elements in 5′-UTRs and/or ORF1ab. The identification of RSM-encompassing structural elements in all CoVs suggests that these RNA elements play fundamental roles in the life cycle of CoVs. In the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2, beta-CoV-specific RSMs are also found in its SL5, displaying two copies of 5′-gUUUCGUc-3′ motifs. However, multiple sequence alignment reveals that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 possesses a variant RSM harboring SL5b C241U, and intriguingly, several variations in the coding sequences of viral proteins, such as Nsp12 P323L, S protein D614G, and N protein R203K-G204R, are concurrently found with such variant RSM. In conclusion, the comprehensive exploration for RSMs reveals phylogenetic insights into the RNA structural elements in CoVs as a whole and provides a new perspective on variations currently found in SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Cheng Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - René C L Olsthoorn
- Department of Supramolecular Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC, Leiden,The Netherlands
| | - Chien-Hung Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
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17
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Tugaeva KV, Hawkins DEDP, Smith JLR, Bayfield OW, Ker DS, Sysoev AA, Klychnikov OI, Antson AA, Sluchanko NN. The Mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Recognition by the Human 14-3-3 Proteins. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166875. [PMID: 33556408 PMCID: PMC7863765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.166875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus nucleocapsid protein (N) controls viral genome packaging and contains numerous phosphorylation sites located within unstructured regions. Binding of phosphorylated SARS-CoV N to the host 14-3-3 protein in the cytoplasm was reported to regulate nucleocytoplasmic N shuttling. All seven isoforms of the human 14-3-3 are abundantly present in tissues vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, where N can constitute up to ~1% of expressed proteins during infection. Although the association between 14-3-3 and SARS-CoV-2 N proteins can represent one of the key host-pathogen interactions, its molecular mechanism and the specific critical phosphosites are unknown. Here, we show that phosphorylated SARS-CoV-2 N protein (pN) dimers, reconstituted via bacterial co-expression with protein kinase A, directly associate, in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, with the dimeric 14-3-3 protein, but not with its monomeric mutant. We demonstrate that pN is recognized by all seven human 14-3-3 isoforms with various efficiencies and deduce the apparent KD to selected isoforms, showing that these are in a low micromolar range. Serial truncations pinpointed a critical phosphorylation site to Ser197, which is conserved among related zoonotic coronaviruses and located within the functionally important, SR-rich region of N. The relatively tight 14-3-3/pN association could regulate nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and other functions of N via occlusion of the SR-rich region, and could also hijack cellular pathways by 14-3-3 sequestration. As such, the assembly may represent a valuable target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina V Tugaeva
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dorothy E D P Hawkins
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Jake L R Smith
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver W Bayfield
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - De-Sheng Ker
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Andrey A Sysoev
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Oleg I Klychnikov
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alfred A Antson
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
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18
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Lee E, Sandgren K, Duette G, Stylianou VV, Khanna R, Eden JS, Blyth E, Gottlieb D, Cunningham AL, Palmer S. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid and Spike T-Cell Epitopes for Assessing T-Cell Immunity. J Virol 2021; 95:e02002-20. [PMID: 33443088 PMCID: PMC8579755 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02002-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing optimal T-cell response assays to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical for measuring the duration of immunity to this disease and assessing the efficacy of vaccine candidates. These assays need to target conserved regions of SARS-CoV-2 global variants and avoid cross-reactivity to seasonal human coronaviruses. To contribute to this effort, we employed an in silico immunoinformatics analysis pipeline to identify immunogenic peptides resulting from conserved and highly networked regions with topological importance from the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike proteins. A total of 57 highly networked T-cell epitopes that are conserved across geographic viral variants were identified from these viral proteins, with a binding potential to diverse HLA alleles and 80 to 100% global population coverage. Importantly, 18 of these T-cell epitope derived peptides had limited homology to seasonal human coronaviruses making them promising candidates for SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immunity assays. Moreover, two of the NC-derived peptides elicited effector/polyfunctional responses of CD8+ T cells derived from SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients.IMPORTANCE The development of specific and validated immunologic tools is critical for understanding the level and duration of the cellular response induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccines against this novel coronavirus disease. To contribute to this effort, we employed an immunoinformatics analysis pipeline to define 57 SARS-CoV-2 immunogenic peptides within topologically important regions of the nucleocapsid (NC) and spike (S) proteins that will be effective for detecting cellular immune responses in 80 to 100% of the global population. Our immunoinformatics analysis revealed that 18 of these peptides had limited homology to circulating seasonal human coronaviruses and therefore are promising candidates for distinguishing SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses from pre-existing coronavirus immunity. Importantly, CD8+ T cells derived from SARS-CoV-2 survivors exhibited polyfunctional effector responses to two novel NC-derived peptides identified as HLA-binders. These studies provide a proof of concept that our immunoinformatics analysis pipeline identifies novel immunogens which can elicit polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunok Lee
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kerrie Sandgren
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gabriel Duette
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vicki V Stylianou
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rajiv Khanna
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - John-Sebastian Eden
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Emily Blyth
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- BMT and Cell Therapies Program, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Gottlieb
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- BMT and Cell Therapies Program, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anthony L Cunningham
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sarah Palmer
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
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19
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Khan T, Rahman M, Ali FA, Huang SSY, Ata M, Zhang Q, Bastard P, Liu Z, Jouanguy E, Béziat V, Cobat A, Nasrallah GK, Yassine HM, Smatti MK, Saeed A, Vandernoot I, Goffard JC, Smits G, Migeotte I, Haerynck F, Meyts I, Abel L, Casanova JL, Hasan MR, Marr N. Distinct antibody repertoires against endemic human coronaviruses in children and adults. JCI Insight 2021; 6:144499. [PMID: 33497357 PMCID: PMC7934927 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.144499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Four endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are commonly associated with acute respiratory infection in humans. B cell responses to these “common cold” viruses remain incompletely understood. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of CoV-specific antibody repertoires in 231 children and 1168 adults using phage immunoprecipitation sequencing. Seroprevalence of antibodies against endemic HCoVs ranged between approximately 4% and 27% depending on the species and cohort. We identified at least 136 novel linear B cell epitopes. Antibody repertoires against endemic HCoVs were qualitatively different between children and adults in that anti-HCoV IgG specificities more frequently found among children targeted functionally important and structurally conserved regions of the spike, nucleocapsid, and matrix proteins. Moreover, antibody specificities targeting the highly conserved fusion peptide region and S2′ cleavage site of the spike protein were broadly cross-reactive with peptides of epidemic human and nonhuman coronaviruses. In contrast, an acidic tandem repeat in the N-terminal region of the Nsp3 subdomain of the HCoV-HKU1 polyprotein was the predominant target of antibody responses in adult donors. Our findings shed light on the dominant species-specific and pan-CoV target sites of human antibody responses to coronavirus infection, thereby providing important insights for the development of prophylactic or therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Manar Ata
- Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Qian Zhang
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Paul Bastard
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Zhiyong Liu
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emmanuelle Jouanguy
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Vivien Béziat
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Cobat
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Gheyath K Nasrallah
- College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.,Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hadi M Yassine
- College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.,Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Maria K Smatti
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Amira Saeed
- Department of Pathology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | | | - Isabelle Migeotte
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) and Center of Human Genetics, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Filomeen Haerynck
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies Ghent, Jeffrey Modell Foundation Diagnostic and Research Center, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium
| | - Isabelle Meyts
- Laboratory for Inborn Errors of Immunity, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, and Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laurent Abel
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Laurent Casanova
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France.,University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mohammad R Hasan
- Department of Pathology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.,Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Nico Marr
- Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.,College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
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20
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ESKİER D, AKALP E, DALAN Ö, KARAKÜLAH G, OKTAY Y. Current mutatome of SARS-CoV-2 in Turkey reveals mutations of interest. Turk J Biol 2021; 45:104-113. [PMID: 33597826 PMCID: PMC7877711 DOI: 10.3906/biy-2008-56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
As the underlying pathogen for the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected tens of millions of lives worldwide, SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations are among the most urgent research topics worldwide. Mutations in the virus genome can complicate attempts at accurate testing or developing a working treatment for the disease. Furthermore, because the virus uses its own proteins to replicate its genome, rather than host proteins, mutations in the replication proteins can have cascading effects on the mutation load of the virus genome. Due to the global, rapidly developing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, local demographics of the virus can be difficult to accurately analyze and track, disproportionate to the importance of such information. Here, we analyzed available, high-quality genome data of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from Turkey and identified their mutations, in comparison to the reference genome, to understand how the local mutatome compares to the global genomes. Our results indicate that viral genomes in Turkey has one of the highest mutation loads and certain mutations are remarkably frequent compared to global genomes. We also made the data on Turkey isolates available on an online database to facilitate further research on SARS-CoV-2 mutations in Turkey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doğa ESKİER
- İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), İzmirTurkey
- İzmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (iBG-İzmir), Dokuz Eylül University, İzmirTurkey
| | - Evren AKALP
- İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), İzmirTurkey
| | - Özlem DALAN
- İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), İzmirTurkey
| | - Gökhan KARAKÜLAH
- İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), İzmirTurkey
- İzmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (iBG-İzmir), Dokuz Eylül University, İzmirTurkey
| | - Yavuz OKTAY
- İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), İzmirTurkey
- İzmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (iBG-İzmir), Dokuz Eylül University, İzmirTurkey
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmirTurkey
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21
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Alteri C, Cento V, Piralla A, Costabile V, Tallarita M, Colagrossi L, Renica S, Giardina F, Novazzi F, Gaiarsa S, Matarazzo E, Antonello M, Vismara C, Fumagalli R, Epis OM, Puoti M, Perno CF, Baldanti F. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 reveals multiple lineages and early spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Lombardy, Italy. Nat Commun 2021; 12:434. [PMID: 33469026 PMCID: PMC7815831 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20688-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
From February to April 2020, Lombardy (Italy) reported the highest numbers of SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide. By analyzing 346 whole SARS-CoV-2 genomes, we demonstrate the presence of seven viral lineages in Lombardy, frequently sustained by local transmission chains and at least two likely to have originated in Italy. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (five of them non-synonymous) characterized the SARS-CoV-2 sequences, none of them affecting N-glycosylation sites. The seven lineages, and the presence of local transmission clusters within three of them, revealed that sustained community transmission was underway before the first COVID-19 case had been detected in Lombardy. The Lombardy region of Italy was heavily affected early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Here, the authors use whole genome sequencing and show that there were multiple introductions into the region, with transmission occurring before the first case was detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Alteri
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Cento
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Piralla
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Valentino Costabile
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Tallarita
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luna Colagrossi
- Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Renica
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Giardina
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Novazzi
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Gaiarsa
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisa Matarazzo
- Residency in Microbiology and Virology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Antonello
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Vismara
- Chemico-clinical and Microbiological Analyses, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Fumagalli
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Massimo Puoti
- Infectious Diseases Unit, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - Carlo Federico Perno
- Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
| | - Fausto Baldanti
- Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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22
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Garvin MR, T Prates E, Pavicic M, Jones P, Amos BK, Geiger A, Shah MB, Streich J, Felipe Machado Gazolla JG, Kainer D, Cliff A, Romero J, Keith N, Brown JB, Jacobson D. Potentially adaptive SARS-CoV-2 mutations discovered with novel spatiotemporal and explainable AI models. Genome Biol 2020; 21:304. [PMID: 33357233 PMCID: PMC7756312 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02191-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A mechanistic understanding of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and diligent tracking of ongoing mutagenesis are of key importance to plan robust strategies for confining its transmission. Large numbers of available sequences and their dates of transmission provide an unprecedented opportunity to analyze evolutionary adaptation in novel ways. Addition of high-resolution structural information can reveal the functional basis of these processes at the molecular level. Integrated systems biology-directed analyses of these data layers afford valuable insights to build a global understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS Here we identify globally distributed haplotypes from 15,789 SARS-CoV-2 genomes and model their success based on their duration, dispersal, and frequency in the host population. Our models identify mutations that are likely compensatory adaptive changes that allowed for rapid expansion of the virus. Functional predictions from structural analyses indicate that, contrary to previous reports, the Asp614Gly mutation in the spike glycoprotein (S) likely reduced transmission and the subsequent Pro323Leu mutation in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase led to the precipitous spread of the virus. Our model also suggests that two mutations in the nsp13 helicase allowed for the adaptation of the virus to the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Finally, our explainable artificial intelligence algorithm identified a mutational hotspot in the sequence of S that also displays a signature of positive selection and may have implications for tissue or cell-specific expression of the virus. CONCLUSIONS These results provide valuable insights for the development of drugs and surveillance strategies to combat the current and future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Garvin
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Erica T Prates
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Mirko Pavicic
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Piet Jones
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - B Kirtley Amos
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- Department of Horticulture, N-318 Ag Sciences Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Armin Geiger
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Manesh B Shah
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jared Streich
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | | | - David Kainer
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Ashley Cliff
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Jonathon Romero
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Nathan Keith
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - James B Brown
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Jacobson
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
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23
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Yaron TM, Heaton BE, Levy TM, Johnson JL, Jordan TX, Cohen BM, Kerelsky A, Lin TY, Liberatore KM, Bulaon DK, Kastenhuber ER, Mercadante MN, Shobana-Ganesh K, He L, Schwartz RE, Chen S, Weinstein H, Elemento O, Piskounova E, Nilsson-Payant BE, Lee G, Trimarco JD, Burke KN, Hamele CE, Chaparian RR, Harding AT, Tata A, Zhu X, Tata PR, Smith CM, Possemato AP, Tkachev SL, Hornbeck PV, Beausoleil SA, Anand SK, Aguet F, Getz G, Davidson AD, Heesom K, Kavanagh-Williamson M, Matthews D, tenOever BR, Cantley LC, Blenis J, Heaton NS. The FDA-approved drug Alectinib compromises SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphorylation and inhibits viral infection in vitro. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020. [PMID: 32817937 DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.14.251207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
While vaccines are vital for preventing COVID-19 infections, it is critical to develop new therapies to treat patients who become infected. Pharmacological targeting of a host factor required for viral replication can suppress viral spread with a low probability of viral mutation leading to resistance. In particular, host kinases are highly druggable targets and a number of conserved coronavirus proteins, notably the nucleoprotein (N), require phosphorylation for full functionality. In order to understand how targeting kinases could be used to compromise viral replication, we used a combination of phosphoproteomics and bioinformatics as well as genetic and pharmacological kinase inhibition to define the enzymes important for SARS-CoV-2 N protein phosphorylation and viral replication. From these data, we propose a model whereby SRPK1/2 initiates phosphorylation of the N protein, which primes for further phosphorylation by GSK-3a/b and CK1 to achieve extensive phosphorylation of the N protein SR-rich domain. Importantly, we were able to leverage our data to identify an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor, Alectinib, that suppresses N phosphorylation by SRPK1/2 and limits SARS-CoV-2 replication. Together, these data suggest that repurposing or developing novel host-kinase directed therapies may be an efficacious strategy to prevent or treat COVID-19 and other coronavirus-mediated diseases.
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24
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Al-Motawa MS, Abbas H, Wijten P, de la Fuente A, Xue M, Rabbani N, Thornalley PJ. Vulnerabilities of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus to Proteotoxicity-Opportunity for Repurposed Chemotherapy of COVID-19 Infection. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:585408. [PMID: 33162891 PMCID: PMC7581855 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.585408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The global pandemic of COVID-19 disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has produced an urgent requirement and search for improved treatments while effective vaccines are developed. A strategy for improved drug therapy is to increase levels of endogenous reactive metabolites for selective toxicity to SARS-CoV-2 by preferential damage to the viral proteome. Key reactive metabolites producing major quantitative damage to the proteome in physiological systems are: reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the reactive glycating agent methylglyoxal (MG); cysteine residues and arginine residues are their most susceptible targets, respectively. From sequenced-based prediction of the SARS-CoV-2 proteome, we found 0.8-fold enrichment or depletion of cysteine residues in functional domains of the viral proteome; whereas there was a 4.6-fold enrichment of arginine residues, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 is resistant to oxidative agents and sensitive to MG. For arginine residues of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus predicted to be in functional domains, we examined which are activated toward modification by MG - residues with predicted or expected low pKa by neighboring group in interactions. We found 25 such arginine residues, including 2 in the spike protein and 10 in the nucleoprotein. These sites were partially conserved in related coronaviridae: SARS-CoV and MERS. Finally, we identified drugs which increase cellular MG concentration to virucidal levels: antitumor drugs with historical antiviral activity, doxorubicin and paclitaxel. Our findings provide evidence of potential vulnerability of SARS-CoV-2 to inactivation by MG and a scientific rationale for repurposing of doxorubicin and paclitaxel for treatment of COVID-19 disease, providing efficacy and adequate therapeutic index may be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam S. Al-Motawa
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hafsa Abbas
- Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, University Hospital, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Wijten
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Alberto de la Fuente
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mingzhan Xue
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, University Hospital, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Naila Rabbani
- Department of Basic Medical Science, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Paul J. Thornalley
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, University Hospital, Coventry, United Kingdom
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25
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Banerjee A, Sarkar R, Mitra S, Lo M, Dutta S, Chawla-Sarkar M. The Novel Coronavirus Enigma: Phylogeny and Analyses of Coevolving Mutations Among the SARS-CoV-2 Viruses Circulating in India. JMIR BIOINFORMATICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 1:e20735. [PMID: 33496683 PMCID: PMC7720937 DOI: 10.2196/20735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The RNA genome of the emerging novel coronavirus is rapidly mutating, and its human-to-human transmission rate is increasing. Hence, temporal dissection of their evolutionary dynamics, the nature of variations among different strains, and understanding the single nucleotide polymorphisms in the endemic settings are crucial. Delineating the heterogeneous genomic constellations of this novel virus will help us understand its complex behavior in a particular geographical region. OBJECTIVE This is a comprehensive analysis of 95 Indian SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences available from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) repository during the first 6 months of 2020 (January through June). Evolutionary dynamics, gene-specific phylogeny, and the emergence of the novel coevolving mutations in 9 structural and nonstructural genes among circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains across 12 different Indian states were analyzed. METHODS A total of 95 SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequences submitted from India were downloaded from the GISAID database. Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis, version X software was used to construct the 9 phylogenetic dendrograms based on nucleotide sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 genes. Analyses of the coevolving mutations were done in comparison to the prototype SARS-CoV-2 from Wuhan, China. The secondary structure of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase/nonstructural protein NSP12 was predicted with respect to the novel A97V mutation. RESULTS Phylogenetic analyses revealed the evolution of "genome-type clusters" and adaptive selection of "L"-type SARS-CoV-2 strains with genetic closeness to the bat severe acute respiratory syndrome-like coronaviruses. These strains were distant to pangolin or Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus strains. With regard to the novel coevolving mutations, 2 groups have been seen circulating in India at present, the "major group" (66/95, 69.4%) and the "minor group" (21/95, 22.1%) , harboring 4 and 5 coexisting mutations, respectively. The "major group" mutations fall in the A2a clade. All the minor group mutations, except 11083G>T (L37F, NSP6 gene), were unique to the Indian isolates. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the rapidly evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus and the cocirculation of multiple clades and subclades. This comprehensive study is a potential resource for monitoring the novel mutations in the viral genome, interpreting changes in viral pathogenesis, and designing vaccines or other therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindita Banerjee
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
| | - Rakesh Sarkar
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
| | - Suvrotoa Mitra
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
| | - Mahadeb Lo
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
| | - Shanta Dutta
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
| | - Mamta Chawla-Sarkar
- Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Kolkata India
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Nikolakaki E, Giannakouros T. SR/RS Motifs as Critical Determinants of Coronavirus Life Cycle. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:219. [PMID: 32974389 PMCID: PMC7471607 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
SR/RS domains are found in almost all eukaryotic genomes from C. elegans to human. These domains are thought to mediate interactions between proteins but also between proteins and RNA in complex networks associated with mRNA splicing, chromatin structure, transcription, cell cycle and cell structure. A precise and tight regulation of their function is achieved through phosphorylation of a number of serine residues within the SR/RS motifs by the Serine-Arginine protein kinases (SRPKs) that lead to delicate structural alterations. Given that coronavirus N proteins also contain SR/RS domains, we formulate the hypothesis that the viruses exploit the properties of these motifs to promote unpacking of viral RNA and virion assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Nikolakaki
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Thomas Giannakouros
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
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An in vivo cell-based assay for investigating the specific interaction between the SARS-CoV N-protein and its viral RNA packaging sequence. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 520:499-506. [PMID: 31594639 PMCID: PMC7092827 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.09.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV nucleocapsid (N) protein serves multiple functions in viral replication, transcription, and assembly of the viral genome complex. Coronaviruses specifically package genomic RNA into assembled virions, and in SARS-CoV, it is reported that this process is driven by an interaction between the N-protein and a packaging signal encoded within the viral RNA. While recent studies have uncovered the sequence of this packaging signal, little is known about the specific interaction between the N-protein and the packaging signal sequence, and the mechanisms by which this interaction drives viral genome packaging. In this study, we developed a novel in vivo cell-based assay for examining this interaction between the N-protein and packaging signal RNA for SARS-CoV, as well as other viruses within the coronaviridae family. Our results demonstrate that the N-protein specifically recognizes the SARS-CoV packaging signal with greater affinity compared to signals from other coronaviruses or non-coronavirus species. We also use deletion mapping to identify a 151-nt region within the packaging signal sequence that is critical for N-protein-RNA binding, and conversely, we show that both the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of the N protein are necessary for recognizing the packaging RNA. These results describe, for the first time, in vivo evidence for an interaction between the SARS-CoV N-protein and its packaging signal RNA, and demonstrate the feasibility of using this cell-based assay to further probe viral RNA-protein interactions in future studies.
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Sobhy H. A Review of Functional Motifs Utilized by Viruses. Proteomes 2016; 4:proteomes4010003. [PMID: 28248213 PMCID: PMC5217368 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes4010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Short linear motifs (SLiM) are short peptides that facilitate protein function and protein-protein interactions. Viruses utilize these motifs to enter into the host, interact with cellular proteins, or egress from host cells. Studying functional motifs may help to predict protein characteristics, interactions, or the putative cellular role of a protein. In virology, it may reveal aspects of the virus tropism and help find antiviral therapeutics. This review highlights the recent understanding of functional motifs utilized by viruses. Special attention was paid to the function of proteins harboring these motifs, and viruses encoding these proteins. The review highlights motifs involved in (i) immune response and post-translational modifications (e.g., ubiquitylation, SUMOylation or ISGylation); (ii) virus-host cell interactions, including virus attachment, entry, fusion, egress and nuclear trafficking; (iii) virulence and antiviral activities; (iv) virion structure; and (v) low-complexity regions (LCRs) or motifs enriched with residues (Xaa-rich motifs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitham Sobhy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
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The Nucleocapsid Protein of Coronaviruses Acts as a Viral Suppressor of RNA Silencing in Mammalian Cells. J Virol 2015; 89:9029-43. [PMID: 26085159 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01331-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process of eukaryotic posttranscriptional gene silencing that functions in antiviral immunity in plants, nematodes, and insects. However, recent studies provided strong supports that RNAi also plays a role in antiviral mechanism in mammalian cells. To combat RNAi-mediated antiviral responses, many viruses encode viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSR) to facilitate their replication. VSRs have been widely studied for plant and insect viruses, but only a few have been defined for mammalian viruses currently. We identified a novel VSR from coronaviruses, a group of medically important mammalian viruses including Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and showed that the nucleocapsid protein (N protein) of coronaviruses suppresses RNAi triggered by either short hairpin RNAs or small interfering RNAs in mammalian cells. Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is closely related to SARS-CoV in the family Coronaviridae and was used as a coronavirus replication model. The replication of MHV increased when the N proteins were expressed in trans, while knockdown of Dicer1 or Ago2 transcripts facilitated the MHV replication in mammalian cells. These results support the hypothesis that RNAi is a part of the antiviral immunity responses in mammalian cells. IMPORTANCE RNAi has been well known to play important antiviral roles from plants to invertebrates. However, recent studies provided strong supports that RNAi is also involved in antiviral response in mammalian cells. An important indication for RNAi-mediated antiviral activity in mammals is the fact that a number of mammalian viruses encode potent suppressors of RNA silencing. Our results demonstrate that coronavirus N protein could function as a VSR through its double-stranded RNA binding activity. Mutational analysis of N protein allowed us to find out the critical residues for the VSR activity. Using the MHV-A59 as the coronavirus replication model, we showed that ectopic expression of SARS-CoV N protein could promote MHV replication in RNAi-active cells but not in RNAi-depleted cells. These results indicate that coronaviruses encode a VSR that functions in the replication cycle and provide further evidence to support that RNAi-mediated antiviral response exists in mammalian cells.
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Almazán F, Sola I, Zuñiga S, Marquez-Jurado S, Morales L, Becares M, Enjuanes L. Reprint of: Coronavirus reverse genetic systems: infectious clones and replicons. Virus Res 2014; 194:67-75. [PMID: 25261606 PMCID: PMC7114485 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of the CoV genome and the instability of some CoV replicase gene sequences during its propagation in bacteria, represent serious obstacles for the development of reverse genetic systems similar to those used for smaller positive sense RNA viruses. To overcome these limitations, several alternatives to more conventional plasmid-based approaches have been established in the last 13 years. In this report, we briefly review and discuss the different reverse genetic systems developed for CoVs, paying special attention to the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Almazán
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Sola
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Zuñiga
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Marquez-Jurado
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucia Morales
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Martina Becares
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Enjuanes
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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Almazán F, Sola I, Zuñiga S, Marquez-Jurado S, Morales L, Becares M, Enjuanes L. Coronavirus reverse genetic systems: infectious clones and replicons. Virus Res 2014; 189:262-70. [PMID: 24930446 PMCID: PMC4727449 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of the CoV genome and the instability of some CoV replicase gene sequences during its propagation in bacteria, represent serious obstacles for the development of reverse genetic systems similar to those used for smaller positive sense RNA viruses. To overcome these limitations, several alternatives to more conventional plasmid-based approaches have been established in the last 13 years. In this report, we briefly review and discuss the different reverse genetic systems developed for CoVs, paying special attention to the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Almazán
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Sola
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Zuñiga
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Marquez-Jurado
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucia Morales
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Martina Becares
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Enjuanes
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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Hilgenfeld R, Peiris M. From SARS to MERS: 10 years of research on highly pathogenic human coronaviruses. Antiviral Res 2013; 100:286-95. [PMID: 24012996 PMCID: PMC7113673 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 241] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We review the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002–2003 and antiviral treatment of patients. We review efforts towards the rational design of anti-SARS therapeutics. We present a comprehensive list of all available 3-dimensional structures of coronavirus proteins. We discuss the emerging MERS coronavirus and review the few antivirals available for treatment. We critically discuss which lessons have been learned from SARS and which are yet to be learned.
This article introduces a series of invited papers in Antiviral Research marking the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), caused by a novel coronavirus that emerged in southern China in late 2002. Until that time, coronaviruses had not been recognized as agents causing severe disease in humans, hence, the emergence of the SARS-CoV came as a complete surprise. Research during the past ten years has revealed the existence of a diverse pool of coronaviruses circulating among various bat species and other animals, suggesting that further introductions of highly pathogenic coronaviruses into the human population are not merely probable, but inevitable. The recent emergence of another coronavirus causing severe disease, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in humans, has made it clear that coronaviruses pose a major threat to human health, and that more research is urgently needed to elucidate their replication mechanisms, identify potential drug targets, and develop effective countermeasures. In this series, experts in many different aspects of coronavirus replication and disease will provide authoritative, up-to-date reviews of the following topics: – clinical management and infection control of SARS; – reservoir hosts of coronaviruses; – receptor recognition and cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV; – SARS-CoV evasion of innate immune responses; – structures and functions of individual coronaviral proteins; – anti-coronavirus drug discovery and development; and – the public health legacy of the SARS outbreak. Each article will be identified in the last line of its abstract as belonging to the series “From SARS to MERS: 10 years of research on highly pathogenic human coronaviruses.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf Hilgenfeld
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
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