1
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Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Chen J, Wu J, Wang X, Zhang Y, Wang S, Cui P, Xu Y, Li Y, Shen Z, Xu T, Zhang Q, Cai J, Zhang H, Wang P, Ai J, Jiang N, Qiu C, Zhang W. Vaccination Shapes Within-Host SARS-CoV-2 Diversity of Omicron BA.2.2 Breakthrough Infection. J Infect Dis 2024; 229:1711-1721. [PMID: 38149984 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-frequency intrahost single-nucleotide variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been recognized as predictive indicators of selection. However, the impact of vaccination on the intrahost evolution of SARS-CoV-2 remains uncertain at present. METHODS We investigated the genetic variation of SARS-CoV-2 in individuals who were unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or fully vaccinated during Shanghai's Omicron BA.2.2 wave. We substantiated the connection between particular amino acid substitutions and immune-mediated selection through a pseudovirus neutralization assay or by cross-verification with the human leukocyte antigen-associated T-cell epitopes. RESULTS In contrast to those with immunologic naivety or partial vaccination, participants who were fully vaccinated had intrahost variant spectra characterized by reduced diversity. Nevertheless, the distribution of mutations in the fully vaccinated group was enriched in the spike protein. The distribution of intrahost single-nucleotide variants in individuals who were immunocompetent did not demonstrate notable signs of positive selection, in contrast to the observed adaptation in 2 participants who were immunocompromised who had an extended period of viral shedding. CONCLUSIONS In SARS-CoV-2 infections, vaccine-induced immunity was associated with decreased diversity of within-host variant spectra, with milder inflammatory pathophysiology. The enrichment of mutations in the spike protein gene indicates selection pressure exerted by vaccination on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiazhen Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Xun Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yumeng Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Shiyong Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Cui
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanyuan Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhongliang Shen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiran Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianpeng Cai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haocheng Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Pengfei Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingwen Ai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Qiu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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2
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Bose E, Xiong S, Jones AN. Probing RNA structure and dynamics using nanopore and next generation sequencing. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107317. [PMID: 38677514 PMCID: PMC11145556 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
It has become increasingly evident that the structures RNAs adopt are conformationally dynamic; the various structured states that RNAs sample govern their interactions with other nucleic acids, proteins, and ligands to regulate a myriad of biological processes. Although several biophysical approaches have been developed and used to study the dynamic landscape of structured RNAs, technical limitations have limited their application to all classes of RNA due to variable size and flexibility. Recent advances combining chemical probing experiments with next-generation- and direct sequencing have emerged as an alternative approach to exploring the conformational dynamics of RNA. In this review, we provide a methodological overview of the sequencing-based techniques used to study RNA conformational dynamics. We discuss how different techniques have enabled us to better understand the propensity of RNAs from a variety of different classes to sample multiple conformational states. Finally, we present examples of the ways these techniques have reshaped how we think about RNA structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Bose
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shengwei Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alisha N Jones
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
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3
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Gori Savellini G, Anichini G, Manetti F, Trivisani CI, Cusi MG. Deletion of 82-85 N-Terminal Residues in SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 Restricts Virus Replication. Viruses 2024; 16:689. [PMID: 38793572 PMCID: PMC11125901 DOI: 10.3390/v16050689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) represents one of the most crucial SARS-CoV-2 virulence factors by inhibiting the translation of host mRNAs and promoting their degradation. We selected naturally occurring virus lineages with specific Nsp1 deletions located at both the N- and C-terminus of the protein. Our data provide new insights into how Nsp1 coordinates these functions on host and viral mRNA recognition. Residues 82-85 in the N-terminal part of Nsp1 likely play a role in docking the 40S mRNA entry channel, preserving the inhibition of host gene expression without affecting cellular mRNA decay. Furthermore, this domain prevents viral mRNAs containing the 5'-leader sequence to escape translational repression. These findings support the presence of distinct domains within the Nsp1 protein that differentially modulate mRNA recognition, translation and turnover. These insights have implications for the development of drugs targeting viral proteins and provides new evidences of how specific mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 could attenuate the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gabriele Anichini
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy;
| | - Fabrizio Manetti
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy (C.I.T.)
| | | | - Maria Grazia Cusi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy;
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4
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Dong TQ, Brown ER. A joint Bayesian hierarchical model for estimating SARS-CoV-2 genomic and subgenomic RNA viral dynamics and seroconversion. Biostatistics 2024; 25:336-353. [PMID: 37490631 DOI: 10.1093/biostatistics/kxad016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the viral dynamics of and natural immunity to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is crucial for devising better therapeutic and prevention strategies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we present a Bayesian hierarchical model that jointly estimates the genomic RNA viral load, the subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) viral load (correlated to active viral replication), and the rate and timing of seroconversion (correlated to presence of antibodies). Our proposed method accounts for the dynamical relationship and correlation structure between the two types of viral load, allows for borrowing of information between viral load and antibody data, and identifies potential correlates of viral load characteristics and propensity for seroconversion. We demonstrate the features of the joint model through application to the COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis study and conduct a cross-validation exercise to illustrate the model's ability to impute the sgRNA viral trajectories for people who only had genomic RNA viral load data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Q Dong
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Brown
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, 3980 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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5
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Pearson GJ, Mears HV, Broncel M, Snijders AP, Bauer DLV, Carlton JG. ER-export and ARFRP1/AP-1-dependent delivery of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope to lysosomes controls late stages of viral replication. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadl5012. [PMID: 38569033 PMCID: PMC10990277 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl5012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The β-coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Coronaviral Envelope (E) proteins are pentameric viroporins that play essential roles in assembly, release, and pathogenesis. We developed a nondisruptive tagging strategy for SARS-CoV-2 E and find that, at steady state, it localizes to the Golgi and to lysosomes. We identify sequences in E, conserved across Coronaviridae, responsible for endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi export, and relate this activity to interaction with COP-II via SEC24. Using proximity biotinylation, we identify an ADP ribosylation factor 1/adaptor protein-1 (ARFRP1/AP-1)-dependent pathway allowing Golgi-to-lysosome trafficking of E. We identify sequences in E that bind AP-1, are conserved across β-coronaviruses, and allow E to be trafficked from Golgi to lysosomes. We show that E acts to deacidify lysosomes and, by developing a trans-complementation assay for SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins, that lysosomal delivery of E and its viroporin activity is necessary for efficient viral replication and release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy J. Pearson
- Organelle Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Harriet V. Mears
- RNA Virus Replication Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Malgorzata Broncel
- Proteomic Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Proteomic Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David L. V. Bauer
- RNA Virus Replication Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jeremy G. Carlton
- Organelle Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, UK
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6
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Chen BJ, Lin CH, Wu HY, Cai JJ, Chao DY. Experimental and analytical pipeline for sub-genomic RNA landscape of coronavirus by Nanopore sequencer. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0395423. [PMID: 38483513 PMCID: PMC10986531 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03954-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses (CoVs), including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, can infect a variety of mammalian and avian hosts with significant medical and economic consequences. During the life cycle of CoV, a coordinated series of subgenomic RNAs, including canonical subgenomic messenger RNA and non-canonical defective viral genomes (DVGs), are generated with different biological implications. Studies that adopted the Nanopore sequencer (ONT) to investigate the landscape and dynamics of viral RNA subgenomic transcriptomes applied arbitrary bioinformatics parameters without justification or experimental validation. The current study used bovine coronavirus (BCoV), which can be performed under biosafety level 2 for library construction and experimental validation using traditional colony polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. Four different ONT protocols, including RNA direct and cDNA direct sequencing with or without exonuclease treatment, were used to generate RNA transcriptomic libraries from BCoV-infected cell lysates. Through rigorously examining the k-mer, gap size, segment size, and bin size, the optimal cutoffs for the bioinformatic pipeline were determined to remove the sequence noise while keeping the informative DVG reads. The sensitivity and specificity of identifying DVG reads using the proposed pipeline can reach 82.6% and 99.6% under the k-mer size cutoff of 15. Exonuclease treatment reduced the abundance of RNA transcripts; however, it was not necessary for future library preparation. Additional recovery of clipped BCoV nucleotide sequences with experimental validation expands the landscape of the CoV discontinuous RNA transcriptome, whose biological function requires future investigation. The results of this study provide the benchmarks for library construction and bioinformatic parameters for studying the discontinuous CoV RNA transcriptome.IMPORTANCEFunctional defective viral genomic RNA, containing all the cis-acting elements required for translation or replication, may play different roles in triggering cell innate immune signaling, interfering with the canonical subgenomic messenger RNA transcription/translation or assisting in establishing persistence infection. This study does not only provide benchmarks for library construction and bioinformatic parameters for studying the discontinuous coronavirus RNA transcriptome but also reveals the complexity of the bovine coronavirus transcriptome, whose functional assays will be critical in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Jia Chen
- Doctoral Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Hung Lin
- Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Yi Wu
- Graduate Institute of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - James J. Cai
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Day-Yu Chao
- Doctoral Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
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7
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Baker PJ, Bohrer AC, Castro E, Amaral EP, Snow-Smith M, Torres-Juárez F, Gould ST, Queiroz ATL, Fukutani ER, Jordan CM, Khillan JS, Cho K, Barber DL, Andrade BB, Johnson RF, Hilligan KL, Mayer-Barber KD. The inflammatory microenvironment of the lung at the time of infection governs innate control of SARS-CoV-2 replication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.27.586885. [PMID: 38585846 PMCID: PMC10996686 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.27.586885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to vastly divergent clinical outcomes ranging from asymptomatic infection to fatal disease. Co-morbidities, sex, age, host genetics and vaccine status are known to affect disease severity. Yet, how the inflammatory milieu of the lung at the time of SARS-CoV-2 exposure impacts the control of viral replication remains poorly understood. We demonstrate here that immune events in the mouse lung closely preceding SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly impact viral control and we identify key innate immune pathways required to limit viral replication. A diverse set of pulmonary inflammatory stimuli, including resolved antecedent respiratory infections with S. aureus or influenza, ongoing pulmonary M. tuberculosis infection, ovalbumin/alum-induced asthma or airway administration of defined TLR ligands and recombinant cytokines, all establish an antiviral state in the lung that restricts SARS-CoV-2 replication upon infection. In addition to antiviral type I interferons, the broadly inducible inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1 precondition the lung for enhanced viral control. Collectively, our work shows that SARS-CoV-2 may benefit from an immunologically quiescent lung microenvironment and suggests that heterogeneity in pulmonary inflammation that precedes or accompanies SARS-CoV-2 exposure may be a significant factor contributing to the population-wide variability in COVID-19 disease outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J. Baker
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
- Current Address: Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Andrea C. Bohrer
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Ehydel Castro
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Eduardo P. Amaral
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Maryonne Snow-Smith
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
- Human Eosinophil Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Flor Torres-Juárez
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Sydnee T. Gould
- T Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
- Current Address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Artur T. L. Queiroz
- Multinational Organization Network Sponsoring Translational and Epidemiological Research Initiative, Salvador, Bahia 41810-710, Brazil
- Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Research, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Bahia 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Eduardo R. Fukutani
- Multinational Organization Network Sponsoring Translational and Epidemiological Research Initiative, Salvador, Bahia 41810-710, Brazil
- Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Research, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Bahia 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Cassandra M. Jordan
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Jaspal S. Khillan
- Mouse Genetics and Gene Modification Section, Comparative Medicine Branch, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA
| | - Kyoungin Cho
- Mouse Genetics and Gene Modification Section, Comparative Medicine Branch, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA
| | - Daniel L. Barber
- T Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Bruno B. Andrade
- Multinational Organization Network Sponsoring Translational and Epidemiological Research Initiative, Salvador, Bahia 41810-710, Brazil
- Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Research, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Bahia 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Reed F. Johnson
- SCV2 Virology Core, Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Kerry L. Hilligan
- Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Katrin D. Mayer-Barber
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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8
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Rogozin IB, Saura A, Poliakov E, Bykova A, Roche-Lima A, Pavlov YI, Yurchenko V. Properties and Mechanisms of Deletions, Insertions, and Substitutions in the Evolutionary History of SARS-CoV-2. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3696. [PMID: 38612505 PMCID: PMC11011937 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has accumulated many mutations since its emergence in late 2019. Nucleotide substitutions leading to amino acid replacements constitute the primary material for natural selection. Insertions, deletions, and substitutions appear to be critical for coronavirus's macro- and microevolution. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of mutations in the mutational hotspots (positions, loci with recurrent mutations, and nucleotide context) is important for disentangling roles of mutagenesis and selection. In the SARS-CoV-2 genome, deletions and insertions are frequently associated with repetitive sequences, whereas C>U substitutions are often surrounded by nucleotides resembling the APOBEC mutable motifs. We describe various approaches to mutation spectra analyses, including the context features of RNAs that are likely to be involved in the generation of recurrent mutations. We also discuss the interplay between mutations and natural selection as a complex evolutionary trend. The substantial variability and complexity of pipelines for the reconstruction of mutations and the huge number of genomic sequences are major problems for the analyses of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. As a solution, we advocate for the development of a centralized database of predicted mutations, which needs to be updated on a regular basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor B. Rogozin
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Andreu Saura
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Eugenia Poliakov
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Anastassia Bykova
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Abiel Roche-Lima
- Center for Collaborative Research in Health Disparities—RCMI Program, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico
| | - Youri I. Pavlov
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Vyacheslav Yurchenko
- Life Science Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
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9
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Mostafa HH. Is It Possible to Test for Viral Infectiousness?: The Use Case of (SARS-CoV-2). Clin Lab Med 2024; 44:85-93. [PMID: 38280800 DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2023.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Identifying and managing individuals with active or chronic disease, implementing appropriate infection control measures, and mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for tests of infectiousness. The gold standard for assessing infectiousness has been the recovery of infectious virus in cell culture. Using cycle threshold values, antigen testing, and SARS-CoV-2, replication intermediate strands were used to assess infectiousness, with many limitations. Infectiousness can be influenced by host factors (eg, preexisting immune responses) and virus factors (eg, evolution).
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Affiliation(s)
- Heba H Mostafa
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Meyer B-121F, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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10
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Abram QH, Landry BN, Wang AB, Kothe RF, Hauch HC, Sagan SM. The myriad roles of RNA structure in the flavivirus life cycle. RNA Biol 2024; 21:14-30. [PMID: 38797925 PMCID: PMC11135854 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2357857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
As positive-sense RNA viruses, the genomes of flaviviruses serve as the template for all stages of the viral life cycle, including translation, replication, and infectious particle production. Yet, they encode just 10 proteins, suggesting that the structure and dynamics of the viral RNA itself helps shepherd the viral genome through these stages. Herein, we highlight advances in our understanding of flavivirus RNA structural elements through the lens of their impact on the viral life cycle. We highlight how RNA structures impact translation, the switch from translation to replication, negative- and positive-strand RNA synthesis, and virion assembly. Consequently, we describe three major themes regarding the roles of RNA structure in flavivirus infections: 1) providing a layer of specificity; 2) increasing the functional capacity; and 3) providing a mechanism to support genome compaction. While the interactions described herein are specific to flaviviruses, these themes appear to extend more broadly across RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn H. Abram
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Breanna N. Landry
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alex B. Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ronja F. Kothe
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hannah C.H. Hauch
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Selena M. Sagan
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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11
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Lavezzari D, Mori A, Pomari E, Deiana M, Fadda A, Bertoli L, Sinigaglia A, Riccetti S, Barzon L, Piubelli C, Delledonne M, Capobianchi MR, Castilletti C. Comparative analysis of bioinformatics tools to characterize SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNAs. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302017. [PMID: 37748810 PMCID: PMC10520259 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
During the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), positive-sense genomic RNA and subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) are synthesized by a discontinuous process of transcription characterized by a template switch, regulated by transcription-regulating sequences (TRS). Although poorly known about makeup and dynamics of sgRNAs population and function of its constituents, next-generation sequencing approaches with the help of bioinformatics tools have made a significant contribution to expand the knowledge of sgRNAs in SARS-CoV-2. For this scope to date, Periscope, LeTRS, sgDI-tector, and CORONATATOR have been developed. However, limited number of studies are available to compare the performance of such tools. To this purpose, we compared Periscope, LeTRS, and sgDI-tector in the identification of canonical (c-) and noncanonical (nc-) sgRNA species in the data obtained with the Illumina ARTIC sequencing protocol applied to SARS-CoV-2-infected Caco-2 cells, sampled at different time points. The three software showed a high concordance rate in the identification and in the quantification of c-sgRNA, whereas more differences were observed in nc-sgRNA. Overall, LeTRS and sgDI-tector result to be adequate alternatives to Periscope to analyze Fastq data from sequencing platforms other than Nanopore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Lavezzari
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Antonio Mori
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Pomari
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Michela Deiana
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Antonio Fadda
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Luca Bertoli
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Riccetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luisa Barzon
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Piubelli
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Maria Rosaria Capobianchi
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
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12
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Zhou K, Chen D. Conventional Understanding of SARS-CoV-2 M pro and Common Strategies for Developing Its Inhibitors. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300301. [PMID: 37577869 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a widespread influence on the world, especially in the face of sudden coronavirus infections, and there is still an urgent need for specific small molecule therapies to cope with possible future pandemics. The pathogen responsible for this pandemic is Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and understanding its structure and lifecycle is beneficial for designing specific drugs of treatment for COVID-19. The main protease (Mpro ) which has conservative and specific advantages is essential for viral replication and transcription. It is regarded as one of the most potential targets for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. This review introduces the popular knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in drug development and lists a series of design principles and relevant activities of advanced Mpro inhibitors, hoping to provide some new directions and ideas for researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, RT 264005, P. R. China
| | - Daquan Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, RT 264005, P. R. China
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13
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Sounart H, Lázár E, Masarapu Y, Wu J, Várkonyi T, Glasz T, Kiss A, Borgström E, Hill A, Rezene S, Gupta S, Jurek A, Niesnerová A, Druid H, Bergmann O, Giacomello S. Dual spatially resolved transcriptomics for human host-pathogen colocalization studies in FFPE tissue sections. Genome Biol 2023; 24:237. [PMID: 37858234 PMCID: PMC10588020 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03080-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Technologies to study localized host-pathogen interactions are urgently needed. Here, we present a spatial transcriptomics approach to simultaneously capture host and pathogen transcriptome-wide spatial gene expression information from human formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections at a near single-cell resolution. We demonstrate this methodology in lung samples from COVID-19 patients and validate our spatial detection of SARS-CoV-2 against RNAScope and in situ sequencing. Host-pathogen colocalization analysis identified putative modulators of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung cells. Our approach provides new insights into host response to pathogen infection through the simultaneous, unbiased detection of two transcriptomes in FFPE samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailey Sounart
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Enikő Lázár
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yuvarani Masarapu
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jian Wu
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tibor Várkonyi
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tibor Glasz
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Kiss
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Sefanit Rezene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Soham Gupta
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Henrik Druid
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olaf Bergmann
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefania Giacomello
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SciLifeLab, Stockholm, Sweden.
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14
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Häring C, Jungwirth J, Schroeder J, Löffler B, Engert B, Ehrhardt C. The Local Anaesthetic Procaine Prodrugs ProcCluster ® and Procaine Hydrochloride Impair SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Egress In Vitro. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14584. [PMID: 37834031 PMCID: PMC10572566 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
As vaccination efforts against SARS-CoV-2 progress in many countries, there is still an urgent need for efficient antiviral treatment strategies for those with severer disease courses, and lately, considerable efforts have been undertaken to repurpose existing drugs as antivirals. The local anaesthetic procaine has been investigated for antiviral properties against several viruses over the past decades. Here, we present data on the inhibitory effect of the procaine prodrugs ProcCluster® and procaine hydrochloride on SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. Both procaine prodrugs limit SARS-CoV-2 progeny virus titres as well as reduce interferon and cytokine responses in a proportional manner to the virus load. The addition of procaine during the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle in a cell culture first limits the production of subgenomic RNA transcripts, and later affects the replication of the viral genomic RNA. Interestingly, procaine additionally exerts a prominent effect on SARS-CoV-2 progeny virus release when added late during the replication cycle, when viral RNA production and protein production are already largely completed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clio Häring
- Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Center for Molecular Biomedicine (CMB), Jena University Hospital, 07745 Jena, Germany; (C.H.); (J.J.); (J.S.)
| | - Johannes Jungwirth
- Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Center for Molecular Biomedicine (CMB), Jena University Hospital, 07745 Jena, Germany; (C.H.); (J.J.); (J.S.)
| | - Josefine Schroeder
- Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Center for Molecular Biomedicine (CMB), Jena University Hospital, 07745 Jena, Germany; (C.H.); (J.J.); (J.S.)
| | - Bettina Löffler
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jena University Hospital, 07747 Jena, Germany;
| | | | - Christina Ehrhardt
- Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Center for Molecular Biomedicine (CMB), Jena University Hospital, 07745 Jena, Germany; (C.H.); (J.J.); (J.S.)
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15
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Harrison K, Snead D, Kilts A, Ammerman ML, Wigginton KR. The Protective Effect of Virus Capsids on RNA and DNA Virus Genomes in Wastewater. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:13757-13766. [PMID: 37656816 PMCID: PMC10516120 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Virus concentrations measured in municipal wastewater help inform both the water treatment necessary to protect human health and wastewater-based epidemiology. Wastewater measurements are typically PCR-based, and interpreting gene copy concentrations requires an understanding of the form and stability of the nucleic acids. Here, we study the persistence of model virus genomes in wastewater, the protective effects provided by the virus capsids, and the relative decay rates of the genome and infectious viruses. In benchtop batch experiments in wastewater influent at 25 °C, extraviral (+)ssRNA and dsDNA amplicons degraded by 90% within 15-19 min and 1.6-1.9 h, respectively. When encapsidated, the T90 for MS2 (+)ssRNA increased by 424× and the T90 for T4 dsDNA increased by 52×. The (+)ssRNA decay rates were similar for a range of amplicon sizes. For our model phages MS2 and T4, the nucleic acid signal in untreated wastewater disappeared shortly after the viruses lost infectivity. Combined, these results suggest that most viral genome copies measured in wastewater are encapsidated, that measured concentrations are independent of assay amplicon sizes, and that the virus genome decay rates of nonenveloped (i.e., naked) viruses are similar to inactivation rates. These findings are valuable for the interpretation of wastewater virus measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine
R. Harrison
- Department of Civil &
Environmental Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Delaney Snead
- Department of Civil &
Environmental Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Anna Kilts
- Department of Civil &
Environmental Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Michelle L. Ammerman
- Department of Civil &
Environmental Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Krista R. Wigginton
- Department of Civil &
Environmental Engineering, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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16
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Baker PJ, Amaral EP, Castro E, Bohrer AC, Torres-Juárez F, Jordan CM, Nelson CE, Barber DL, Johnson RF, Hilligan KL, Mayer-Barber KD. Co-infection of mice with SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis limits early viral replication but does not affect mycobacterial loads. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1240419. [PMID: 37720210 PMCID: PMC10502726 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1240419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral co-infections have been implicated in worsening tuberculosis (TB) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global rate of TB-related deaths has increased for the first time in over a decade. We and others have previously shown that a resolved prior or concurrent influenza A virus infection in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected mice resulted in increased pulmonary bacterial burden, partly through type I interferon (IFN-I)-dependent mechanisms. Here we investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) co-infection could also negatively affect bacterial control of Mtb. Importantly, we found that K18-hACE2 transgenic mice infected with SCV2 one month before, or months after aerosol Mtb exposure did not display exacerbated Mtb infection-associated pathology, weight loss, nor did they have increased pulmonary bacterial loads. However, pre-existing Mtb infection at the time of exposure to the ancestral SCV2 strain in infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice or the beta variant (B.1.351) in WT C57Bl/6 mice significantly limited early SCV2 replication in the lung. Mtb-driven protection against SCV2 increased with higher bacterial doses and did not require IFN-I, TLR2 or TLR9 signaling. These data suggest that SCV2 co-infection does not exacerbate Mtb infection in mice, but rather the inflammatory response generated by Mtb infection in the lungs at the time of SCV2 exposure restricts viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J. Baker
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Eduardo P. Amaral
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ehydel Castro
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Andrea C. Bohrer
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Flor Torres-Juárez
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Cassandra M. Jordan
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Christine E. Nelson
- T Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Daniel L. Barber
- T Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Reed F. Johnson
- SARS-CoV-2 Virology Core, Laboratory of Viral Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kerry L. Hilligan
- Immunobiology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Katrin D. Mayer-Barber
- Inflammation and Innate Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
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17
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Khan MF, Roopa C. Dry Swab-Based Nucleic Acid Extraction vs. Spin Column-Based Nucleic Acid Extraction for COVID-19 RT-PCR Testing: A Comparative Study. THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY = JOURNAL CANADIEN DES MALADIES INFECTIEUSES ET DE LA MICROBIOLOGIE MEDICALE 2023; 2023:6624932. [PMID: 37663452 PMCID: PMC10469701 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6624932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Conventional nucleic acid extraction involves usage of spin columns to isolate the RNA, but this is labor intensive. This study compares the spin column method with a dry swab-based method of extraction using a proteinase K buffer and subsequent heat inactivation. A total of 56 subjects were tested for COVID-19 by RT-PCR with probes targeting the E and RdRp genes by collecting two nasopharyngeal and two oropharyngeal swabs and subjecting one set to nucleic acid extraction by spin column and the other set to dry swab-based methods. Out of the 56 samples tested, 27 were positive for VTM-based extraction and 29 were negative. Dry swab-based extraction produced 22 positive results (sensitivity = 81.48%) and 34 negative results. The E gene was detectable in 25 samples by the dry swab method out of 27 samples that tested positive by the VTM-based method (sensitivity = 92.5%). The RdRp gene was detectable in 22 samples by the dry swab method out of 27 samples that tested positive by the VTM-based method (sensitivity = 81.48%). Concordance was 91% with discordance at 9% and a Kappa value of 0.82, indicating almost perfect agreement between the two methods. Our findings indicate that the dry swab method of nucleic acid extraction is a useful alternative to conventional spin column-based extraction with comparable sensitivity and specificity. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI) with a CTRI registration number of CTRI/2021/12/038792.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Faraaz Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally, Telangana, India
| | - C. Roopa
- Department of Microbiology, SVS Medical College, Mahabubnagar, Telangana, India
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18
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Lafon-Hughes L. Towards Understanding Long COVID: SARS-CoV-2 Strikes the Host Cell Nucleus. Pathogens 2023; 12:806. [PMID: 37375496 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite what its name suggests, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic causative agent "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2" (SARS-CoV-2) were not always confined, neither temporarily (being long-term rather than acute, referred to as Long COVID) nor spatially (affecting several body systems). Moreover, the in-depth study of this ss(+) RNA virus is defying the established scheme according to which it just had a lytic cycle taking place confined to cell membranes and the cytoplasm, leaving the nucleus basically "untouched". Cumulative evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 components disturb the transport of certain proteins through the nuclear pores. Some SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins such as Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N), most non-structural proteins (remarkably, Nsp1 and Nsp3), as well as some accessory proteins (ORF3d, ORF6, ORF9a) can reach the nucleoplasm either due to their nuclear localization signals (NLS) or taking a shuttle with other proteins. A percentage of SARS-CoV-2 RNA can also reach the nucleoplasm. Remarkably, controversy has recently been raised by proving that-at least under certain conditions-, SARS-CoV-2 sequences can be retrotranscribed and inserted as DNA in the host genome, giving rise to chimeric genes. In turn, the expression of viral-host chimeric proteins could potentially create neo-antigens, activate autoimmunity and promote a chronic pro-inflammatory state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lafon-Hughes
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
- Grupo de Biofisicoquímica, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Universitario Regional Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República (CENUR-UdelaR), Salto 50000, Uruguay
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19
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Reyes-Calderón A, Mindreau-Ganoza E, Pardo-Figueroa B, Garcia-Luquillas KR, Yufra SP, Romero PE, Antonini C, Renom JM, Mota CR, Santa-Maria MC. Evaluation of low-cost SARS-CoV-2 RNA purification methods for viral quantification by RT-qPCR and next-generation sequencing analysis: Implications for wider wastewater-based epidemiology adoption. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16130. [PMID: 37228686 PMCID: PMC10188194 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Based Epidemiology (WBE) consists of quantifying biomarkers in sewerage systems to derive real-time information on the health and/or lifestyle of the contributing population. WBE usefulness was vastly demonstrated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA determination in wastewater were devised, which vary in cost, infrastructure requirements and sensitivity. For most developing countries, implementing WBE for viral outbreaks, such as that of SARS-CoV-2, proved challenging due to budget, reagent availability and infrastructure constraints. In this study, we assessed low-cost methods for SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification by RT-qPCR, and performed variant identification by NGS in wastewater samples. Results showed that the effect of adjusting pH to 4 and/or adding MgCl2 (25 mM) was negligible when using the adsorption-elution method, as well as basal physicochemical parameters in the sample. In addition, results supported the standardized use of linear rather than plasmid DNA for a more accurate viral RT-qPCR estimation. The modified TRIzol-based purification method in this study yielded comparable RT-qPCR estimation to a column-based approach, but provided better NGS results, suggesting that column-based purification for viral analysis should be revised. Overall, this work provides evaluation of a robust, sensitive and cost-effective method for SARS-CoV-2 RNA analysis that could be implemented for other viruses, for a wider WEB adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonso Reyes-Calderón
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Elías Mindreau-Ganoza
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Braulio Pardo-Figueroa
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Katherine R Garcia-Luquillas
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Sonia P Yufra
- Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica e Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Av. Independencia s/n, Arequipa, 04001, Peru
| | - Pedro E Romero
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Germán Amézaga s/n, Lima, 15081, Peru
| | - Claudia Antonini
- Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Jose-Miguel Renom
- Departamento de Ciencias, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
| | - Cesar R Mota
- Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antonio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, 6.627, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Monica C Santa-Maria
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología del Agua - CITA, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia - UTEC, Jr. Medrano Silva 165, Lima, 15063, Peru
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20
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Roesmann F, Jakobsche I, Pallas C, Wilhelm A, Raffel J, Kohmer N, Toptan T, Berger A, Goetsch U, Ciesek S, Widera M. Comparison of the Ct-values for genomic and subgenomic SARS-CoV-2 RNA reveals limited predictive value for the presence of replication competent virus. J Clin Virol 2023; 165:105499. [PMID: 37327554 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2023.105499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the acute respiratory disease COVID-19. In addition to the full length positive-sensed, single-stranded genomic RNA (gRNA), viral subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) that are required for expression of the 3' region of the genome are synthesized in virus-infected cells. However, whether these sgRNA-species might be used as a measure of active virus replication and to predict infectivity is still under debate. The commonly used methods to monitor and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 infections are based on RT-qPCR analysis and the detection of gRNA. The infectivity of a sample obtained from nasopharyngeal or throat swabs is associated with the viral load and inversely correlates with Ct-values, however, a cut-off value predicting the infectivity highly depends on the performance of the assay. Furthermore, gRNA derived Ct-values result from nucleic acid detection and do not necessarily correspond to active replicating virus. We established a multiplex RT-qPCR assay on the cobas 6800 omni utility channel concomitantly detecting SARS-CoV-2 gRNAOrf1a/b, sgRNAE,7a,N, and human RNaseP-mRNA used as human input control. We compared the target specific Ct-values with the viral culture frequency and performed ROC curve analysis to determine the assay sensitivity and specificity. We found no advantage in the prediction of viral culture when using sgRNA detection compared to gRNA only, since Ct-values for gRNA and sgRNA were highly correlated and gRNA offered a slightly more reliable predictive value. Single Ct-values alone only provide a very limited prediction for the presence of replication competent virus. Hence, careful consideration of the medical history including symptom onset has to be considered for risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Roesmann
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Irene Jakobsche
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Christiane Pallas
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Alexander Wilhelm
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Johanna Raffel
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Niko Kohmer
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Tuna Toptan
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Annemarie Berger
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany
| | - Udo Goetsch
- Health Protection Authority, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sandra Ciesek
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, DZIF, Braunschweig, Germany; Branch Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marek Widera
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Sandhofstr. 2-4, House 75, Room 1.207, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany.
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21
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Greco F, Lorefice E, Carissimi C, Laudadio I, Ciccosanti F, Di Rienzo M, Colavita F, Meschi S, Maggi F, Fimia GM, Fulci V. A microRNA Arising from the Negative Strand of SARS-CoV-2 Genome Targets FOS to Reduce AP-1 Activity. Noncoding RNA 2023; 9:33. [PMID: 37368333 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna9030033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Virus-encoded microRNAs were first reported in the Epstein-Barr virus in 2004. Subsequently, a few hundred viral miRNAs have been identified, mainly in DNA viruses belonging to the herpesviridae family. To date, only 30 viral miRNAs encoded by RNA viruses are reported by miRBase. Since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several studies have predicted and, in some cases, experimentally validated miRNAs originating from the positive strand of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. By integrating NGS data analysis and qRT-PCR approaches, we found that SARS-CoV-2 also encodes for a viral miRNA arising from the minus (antisense) strand of the viral genome, in the region encoding for ORF1ab, herein referred to as SARS-CoV-2-miR-AS1. Our data show that the expression of this microRNA increases in a time course analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Furthermore, enoxacin treatment enhances the accumulation of the mature SARS-CoV-2-miR-AS1 in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, arguing for a Dicer-dependent processing of this small RNA. In silico analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2-miR-AS1 targets a set of genes which are translationally repressed during SARS-CoV-2 infection. We experimentally validated that SARS-CoV-2-miR-AS1 targets FOS, thus repressing the AP-1 transcription factor activity in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Greco
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Lorefice
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Carissimi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Laudadio
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabiola Ciccosanti
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Di Rienzo
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Colavita
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Meschi
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Maggi
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Gian Maria Fimia
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS 'L. Spallanzani', 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Fulci
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Rome, Italy
- Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, 00161 Rome, Italy
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22
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Mori A, Lavezzari D, Pomari E, Deiana M, Piubelli C, Capobianchi MR, Castilletti C. sgRNAs: A SARS-CoV-2 emerging issue. ASPECTS OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE 2023; 1:100008. [PMID: 37519862 PMCID: PMC10105645 DOI: 10.1016/j.amolm.2023.100008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Like for other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 gene expression strategy is based on the synthesis of a nested set of subgenomic mRNA species (sgRNAs). These sgRNA are synthesized using a "discontinuous transcription" mechanism that relies on template switching at Transcription Regulatory Sequences (TRS). Both canonical (c-sgRNA) and non-canonical (nc-sgRNA, less numerous) subgenomic RNA species can be produced. Currently, sgRNAs are investigated on the basis of sequence data obtained through next generation sequencing (NGS), and bioinformatic tools are crucial for their identification, characterization and quantification. To date, few software have been developed to this aim, whose reliability and applicability to all the available NGS platforms need to be established, to build confidence on the information resulting from such tools. In fact, these information may be crucial for the in depth elucidation of viral expression strategy, particularly in respect of the significance of nc-sgRNAs, and for the possible use of sgRNAs as potential markers of virus replicative activity in infected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Mori
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Denise Lavezzari
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Pomari
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Michela Deiana
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Piubelli
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Capobianchi
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, 37024, Verona, Italy
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23
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Morón-López S, Riveira-Muñoz E, Urrea V, Gutiérrez-Chamorro L, Ávila-Nieto C, Noguera-Julian M, Carrillo J, Mitjà O, Mateu L, Massanella M, Ballana E, Martinez-Picado J. Comparison of Reverse Transcription (RT)-Quantitative PCR and RT-Droplet Digital PCR for Detection of Genomic and Subgenomic SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0415922. [PMID: 36943067 PMCID: PMC10100669 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04159-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Most individuals acutely infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibit mild symptoms. However, 10 to 20% of those infected develop long-term symptoms, referred to as post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC). One hypothesis is that PCC might be exacerbated by viral persistence in tissue sanctuaries. Therefore, the accurate detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 are not only necessary for viral load monitoring but also crucial for detecting long-term viral persistence and determining whether viral replication is occurring in tissue reservoirs. In this study, the sensitivity and robustness of reverse transcription (RT)-droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and RT-quantitative PCR (qPCR) techniques have been compared for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 genomic and subgenomic RNAs from oropharyngeal swabs taken from confirmed SARS-CoV-2-positive, SARS-CoV-2-exposed, and nonexposed individuals as well as from samples from mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Our data demonstrated that both techniques presented equivalent results in the mid- and high-viral-load ranges. Additionally, RT-ddPCR was more sensitive than RT-qPCR in the low-viral-load range, allowing the accurate detection of positive results in individuals exposed to the virus. Overall, these data suggest that RT-ddPCR might be an alternative to RT-qPCR for detecting low viral loads in samples and for assessing viral persistence in samples from individuals with PCC. IMPORTANCE We developed one-step reverse transcription (RT)-droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) protocols to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA and compared them to the gold-standard RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) method. RT-ddPCR was more sensitive than RT-qPCR in the low-viral-load range, while both techniques were equivalent in the mid- and high-viral-load ranges. Overall, these results suggest that RT-ddPCR might be a viable alternative to RT-qPCR when it comes to detecting low viral loads in samples, which is a highly relevant issue for determining viral persistence in as-yet-unknown tissue reservoirs in individuals suffering from post-COVID conditions or long COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Morón-López
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Victor Urrea
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
| | | | | | - Marc Noguera-Julian
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Carrillo
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
| | - Oriol Mitjà
- Fight Infections Foundation, Badalona, Spain
- Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- Lihir Medical Centre, International SOS, Londolovit, Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea
| | - Lourdes Mateu
- Fight Infections Foundation, Badalona, Spain
- Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Massanella
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
| | - Ester Ballana
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
| | - Javier Martinez-Picado
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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24
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Braun MR, Martinez CI, Dora EG, Showalter LJ, Mercedes AR, Tucker SN. Mucosal immunization with Ad5-based vaccines protects Syrian hamsters from challenge with omicron and delta variants of SARS-CoV-2. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1086035. [PMID: 36911687 PMCID: PMC9992185 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1086035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variant clades continue to circumvent antibody responses elicited by vaccination or infection. Current parenteral vaccination strategies reduce illness and hospitalization, yet do not significantly protect against infection by the more recent variants. It is thought that mucosal vaccination strategies may better protect against infection by inducing immunity at the sites of infection, blocking viral transmission more effectively, and significantly inhibiting the evolution of new variants of concern (VOCs). In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of a mucosally-delivered, non-replicating, adenovirus type 5-vectored vaccine that expresses the spike (S) gene of Wuhan (rAd5-S-Wuhan), delta (rAd5-S-delta), or omicron (rAd5-S-omicron) SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Hamsters were immunized with these vaccines intranasally prior to challenge with omicron or delta variants. Additionally, one group was vaccinated by oral gavage with rAd5-S-Wuhan prior to challenge with the delta variant. Both intranasal and oral administration of rAd5-S-Wuhan generated cross-reactive serum IgG and mucosal IgA to all variant spike and RBD proteins tested. rAd5-S-omicron and rAd5-S-delta additionally elicited cross-reactive antibodies, though rAd5-S-omicron had significantly lower binding antibody levels except against its matched antigens. Two weeks after the final vaccination, hamsters were challenged with a SARS-CoV-2 variant; omicron or delta. Whether matched to the challenge or with rAd5-S-Wuhan, all vaccines protected hamsters from weight loss and lung pathology caused by challenge and significantly reduced viral shedding compared to placebo. Vaccination with rAd5-S-Wuhan provided significant protection, although there was an improved reduction in shedding and disease pathology in groups protected by the matched VOC vaccines. Nevertheless, Wuhan-based vaccination elicited the most cross-reactive antibody responses generally. Overall, heterologous vaccination via mucosal routes may be advantageous for second-generation vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly R Braun
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Clarissa I Martinez
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Emery G Dora
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Laura J Showalter
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Annette R Mercedes
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sean N Tucker
- Research & Development, Vaxart, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
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25
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Moll T, Odon V, Harvey C, Collins MO, Peden A, Franklin J, Graves E, Marshall JN, Dos Santos Souza C, Zhang S, Castelli L, Hautbergue G, Azzouz M, Gordon D, Krogan N, Ferraiuolo L, Snyder MP, Shaw PJ, Rehwinkel J, Cooper-Knock J. Low expression of EXOSC2 protects against clinical COVID-19 and impedes SARS-CoV-2 replication. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201449. [PMID: 36241425 PMCID: PMC9585911 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
New therapeutic targets are a valuable resource for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. Genome-wide association studies have identified risk loci associated with COVID-19, but many loci are associated with comorbidities and are not specific to host-virus interactions. Here, we identify and experimentally validate a link between reduced expression of EXOSC2 and reduced SARS-CoV-2 replication. EXOSC2 was one of the 332 host proteins examined, all of which interact directly with SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Aggregating COVID-19 genome-wide association studies statistics for gene-specific eQTLs revealed an association between increased expression of EXOSC2 and higher risk of clinical COVID-19. EXOSC2 interacts with Nsp8 which forms part of the viral RNA polymerase. EXOSC2 is a component of the RNA exosome, and here, LC-MS/MS analysis of protein pulldowns demonstrated interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase and most of the human RNA exosome components. CRISPR/Cas9 introduction of nonsense mutations within EXOSC2 in Calu-3 cells reduced EXOSC2 protein expression and impeded SARS-CoV-2 replication without impacting cellular viability. Targeted depletion of EXOSC2 may be a safe and effective strategy to protect against clinical COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Moll
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Valerie Odon
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Calum Harvey
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mark O Collins
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Andrew Peden
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - John Franklin
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emily Graves
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jack Ng Marshall
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Sai Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lydia Castelli
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Guillaume Hautbergue
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mimoun Azzouz
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David Gordon
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nevan Krogan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) COVID-19 Research Group (QCRG), San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Laura Ferraiuolo
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Michael P Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Pamela J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jan Rehwinkel
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Johnathan Cooper-Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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26
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Theaux C, Martin Y, Montoto Piazza L, Wenk G, Notaristefano G, Miño L, Sevilla ME, Aprea V, Claps A, Nabaes Jodar M, Acuña D, Salvatori M, Álvarez L, Langan ME, Turk G, Del Olmo R, Viegas M, Bruno M, Bokser V. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding and infectivity in immunized population: Prospective study along different epidemiological periods in Argentina. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285704. [PMID: 37196044 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During the pandemic of COVID-19, numerous waves of infections affected the two hemispheres with different impacts on each country. Throughout these waves, and with the emergence of new variants, health systems and scientists have tried to provide real-time responses to the complex biology of SARS-CoV-2, dealing with different clinical presentations, biological characteristics, and clinical impact of these variants. In this context, knowing the extent period in which an infected individual releases infectious viral particles has important implications for public health. This work aimed to investigate viral RNA shedding and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 beyond 10 days after symptom onset (SO). A prospective multicenter study was performed between July/2021 and February/2022 on 116 immunized strategic personnel with COVID-19 diagnosed by RT-qPCR, with asymptomatic (7%), mild (91%) or moderate disease (2%). At the time of diagnosis, 70% had 2 doses of vaccines, 26% had 2 plus a booster, and 4% had one dose. After day 10 from SO, sequential nasopharyngeal swabs were taken to perform RT-qPCR, viral isolation, and S gene sequencing when possible. Viral sequences were obtained in 98 samples: 43% were Delta, 16% Lambda, 15% Gamma, 25% Omicron (BA.1) and 1% Non-VOC/VOI, in accordance with the main circulating variants at each moment. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected 10 days post SO in 57% of the subjects. Omicron was significantly less persistent. Noteworthy, infective viruses could not be isolated in any of the samples. In conclusion, a 10-days isolation period was useful to prevent further infections, and proved valid for the variants studied. Recently, even shorter periods have been applied, as the Omicron variant is prevalent, and worldwide population is largely vaccinated. In the future, facing the possible emergence of new variants and considering immunological status, a return to 10 days may be necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Theaux
- División Laboratorio, Departamento de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Carlos G. Durand, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yamila Martin
- Hospital Municipal de Rehabilitación Respiratoria María Ferrer, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luciana Montoto Piazza
- Departamento de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gretel Wenk
- Departamento de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo Notaristefano
- División Laboratorio, Departamento de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Carlos G. Durand, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Miño
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Eugenia Sevilla
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Valeria Aprea
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Aldana Claps
- Departamento de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mercedes Nabaes Jodar
- Laboratorio de Virología, Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consorcio Argentino de Genómica de SARS-CoV-2 (Proyecto PAIS), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Dolores Acuña
- Laboratorio de Virología, Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consorcio Argentino de Genómica de SARS-CoV-2 (Proyecto PAIS), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Melina Salvatori
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Álvarez
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Carlos G. Durand, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Eugenia Langan
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Carlos G. Durand, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Turk
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ricardo Del Olmo
- Hospital Municipal de Rehabilitación Respiratoria María Ferrer, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Viegas
- Laboratorio de Virología, Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consorcio Argentino de Genómica de SARS-CoV-2 (Proyecto PAIS), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Miriam Bruno
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Carlos G. Durand, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vivian Bokser
- División Promoción y Protección de la Salud, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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27
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Focus on Marine Animal Safety and Marine Bioresources in Response to the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315136. [PMID: 36499463 PMCID: PMC9737530 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315136] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 as a zoonotic virus has significantly affected daily life and social behavior since its outbreak in late 2019. The concerns over its transmission through different media directly or indirectly have evoked great attention about the survival of SARS-CoV-2 virions in the environment and its potential infection of other animals. To evaluate the risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 and to counteract the COVID-19 disease, extensive studies have been performed to understand SARS-CoV-2 biogenesis and its pathogenesis. This review mainly focuses on the molecular architecture of SARS-CoV-2, its potential for infecting marine animals, and the prospect of drug discovery using marine natural products to combat SARS-CoV-2. The main purposes of this review are to piece together progress in SARS-CoV-2 functional genomic studies and antiviral drug development, and to raise our awareness of marine animal safety on exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
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Subgenomic RNAs and Their Encoded Proteins Contribute to the Rapid Duplication of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Progression. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12111680. [DOI: 10.3390/biom12111680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently widespread throughout the world, accompanied by a rising number of people infected and breakthrough infection of variants, which make the virus highly transmissible and replicable. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular virological events and induced immunological features during SARS-CoV-2 replication can provide reliable targets for vaccine and drug development. Among the potential targets, subgenomic RNAs and their encoded proteins involved in the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 are extremely important in viral duplication and pathogenesis. Subgenomic RNAs employ a range of coping strategies to evade immune surveillance from replication to translation, which allows RNAs to synthesize quickly, encode structural proteins efficiently and complete the entire process of virus replication and assembly successfully. This review focuses on the characteristics and functions of SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNAs and their encoded proteins and explores in depth the role of subgenomic RNAs in the replication and infection of host cells to provide important clues to the mechanism of COVID-19 pathogenesis.
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Analysis of Genetic Variants Associated with COVID-19 Outcome Highlights Different Distributions among Populations. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12111851. [PMID: 36579599 PMCID: PMC9692526 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12111851] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 infection ranges from asymptomatic status to mild infections, to severe disease and death. In this context, the identification of specific susceptibility factors is crucial to detect people at the higher risk of severe disease and improve the outcome of COVID-19 treatment. Several studies identified genetic variants conferring higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. The present study explored their genetic distribution among different populations (AFR, EAS, EUR and SAS). As a result, the obtained data support the existence of a genetic basis for the observed variability among populations, in terms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease outcomes. The comparison of ORs distribution for genetic risk of infection as well as for disease outcome shows that each population presents its own characteristics. These data suggest that each country could benefit from a population-wide risk assessment, aimed to personalize the national vaccine programs and the preventative measures as well as the allocation of resources and the access to proper therapeutic interventions. Moreover, the host genetics should be further investigated in order to realize personalized medicine protocols tailored to improve the management of patients suffering from COVID-19.
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Wang M, Chang W, Zhang L, Zhang Y. Pyroptotic cell death in SARS-CoV-2 infection: revealing its roles during the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:5827-5848. [PMID: 36263178 PMCID: PMC9576507 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.77561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), remains a global public health emergency. The host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 plays a key role in COVID-19 pathogenesis. SARS-CoV-2 can induce aberrant and excessive immune responses, leading to cytokine storm syndrome, autoimmunity, lymphopenia, neutrophilia and dysfunction of monocytes and macrophages. Pyroptosis, a proinflammatory form of programmed cell death, acts as a host defense mechanism against infections. Pyroptosis deprives the replicative niche of SARS-CoV-2 by inducing the lysis of infected cells and exposing the virus to extracellular immune attack. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 has evolved sophisticated mechanisms to hijack this cell death mode for its own survival, propagation and shedding. SARS-CoV-2-encoded viral products act to modulate various key components in the pyroptosis pathways, including inflammasomes, caspases and gasdermins. SARS-CoV-2-induced pyroptosis contriubtes to the development of COVID-19-associated immunopathologies through leakage of intracellular contents, disruption of immune system homeostasis or exacerbation of inflammation. Therefore, pyroptosis has emerged as an important mechanism involved in COVID-19 immunopathogenesis. However, the entangled links between pyroptosis and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis lack systematic clarification. In this review, we briefly summarize the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19-related immunopathologies. Moreover, we present an overview of the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 infection and pyroptosis and highlight recent research advances in the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the implication of the pyroptosis pathways in COVID-19 pathogenesis, which will provide informative inspirations and new directions for further investigation and clinical practice. Finally, we discuss the potential value of pyroptosis as a therapeutic target in COVID-19. An in-depth discussion of the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 pathogenesis will be conducive to the identification of potential therapeutic targets and the exploration of effective treatment measures aimed at conquering SARS-CoV-2-induced COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Wang
- ✉ Corresponding author: Man Wang, Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, 38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China. Tel.: +86-532-82991791; E-mail address:
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Okura T, Shirato K, Kakizaki M, Sugimoto S, Matsuyama S, Tanaka T, Kume Y, Chishiki M, Ono T, Moriishi K, Sonoyama M, Hosoya M, Hashimoto K, Maenaka K, Takeda M. Hydrophobic Alpha-Helical Short Peptides in Overlapping Reading Frames of the Coronavirus Genome. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11080877. [PMID: 36014999 PMCID: PMC9415614 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080877] [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: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we show that the coronavirus (CoV) genome may encode many functional hydrophobic alpha-helical peptides (HAHPs) in overlapping reading frames of major coronaviral proteins throughout the entire viral genome. These HAHPs can theoretically be expressed from non-canonical sub-genomic (sg)RNAs that are synthesized in substantial amounts in infected cells. We selected and analyzed five and six HAHPs encoded in the S gene regions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively. Two and three HAHPs derived from SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, respectively, specifically interacted with both the SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV S proteins and inhibited their membrane fusion activity. Furthermore, one of the SARS-CoV-2 HAHPs specifically inhibited viral RNA synthesis by accumulating at the site of viral RNA synthesis. Our data show that a group of HAHPs in the coronaviral genome potentially has a regulatory role in viral propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Okura
- Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan; (T.O.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.S.)
| | - Kazuya Shirato
- Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan; (T.O.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.S.)
| | - Masatoshi Kakizaki
- Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan; (T.O.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.S.)
| | - Satoko Sugimoto
- Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan; (T.O.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.S.)
- Management Department of Biosafety, Laboratory Animal, and Pathogen Bank, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shutoku Matsuyama
- Center for Influenza and Respiratory Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan;
| | - Tomohisa Tanaka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, Chuo 409-3898, Yamanashi, Japan; (T.T.); (K.M.)
| | - Yohei Kume
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan; (Y.K.); (M.C.); (T.O.); (M.H.); (K.H.)
| | - Mina Chishiki
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan; (Y.K.); (M.C.); (T.O.); (M.H.); (K.H.)
| | - Takashi Ono
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan; (Y.K.); (M.C.); (T.O.); (M.H.); (K.H.)
| | - Kohji Moriishi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, Chuo 409-3898, Yamanashi, Japan; (T.T.); (K.M.)
- Center for Life Science Research, University of Yamanashi, Chuo 409-3898, Yamanashi, Japan
- Division of Hepatitis Virology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0808, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Masashi Sonoyama
- Division of Molecular Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Gunma, Japan;
- Gunma University Center for Food Science and Wellness (GUCFW), Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Gunma, Japan
- Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Gunma, Japan
| | - Mitsuaki Hosoya
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan; (Y.K.); (M.C.); (T.O.); (M.H.); (K.H.)
| | - Koichi Hashimoto
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan; (Y.K.); (M.C.); (T.O.); (M.H.); (K.H.)
| | - Katsumi Maenaka
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan;
- Center for Research and Education on Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Makoto Takeda
- Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama 208-0011, Tokyo, Japan; (T.O.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence:
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Correction: Long, S. SARS-CoV-2 Subgenomic RNAs: Characterization, Utility, and Perspectives. Viruses 2020, 13, 1923. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071406. [PMID: 35891574 PMCID: PMC9324224 DOI: 10.3390/v14071406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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Agius JE, Johnson-Mackinnon JC, Fong W, Gall M, Lam C, Basile K, Kok J, Arnott A, Sintchenko V, Rockett RJ. SARS-CoV-2 Within-Host and in vitro Genomic Variability and Sub-Genomic RNA Levels Indicate Differences in Viral Expression Between Clinical Cohorts and in vitro Culture. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:824217. [PMID: 35663867 PMCID: PMC9161297 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.824217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Low frequency intrahost single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been increasingly recognised as predictive indicators of positive selection. Particularly as growing numbers of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and concern (VOC) emerge. However, the dynamics of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) expression and its impact on genomic diversity and infection outcome remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate and quantify iSNVs and sgRNA expression in single and longitudinally sampled cohorts over the course of mild and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, benchmarked against an in vitro infection model. Methods Two clinical cohorts of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases in New South Wales, Australia collected between March 2020 and August 2021 were sequenced. Longitudinal samples from cases hospitalised due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (severe) (n = 16) were analysed and compared with cases that presented with SARS-CoV-2 symptoms but were not hospitalised (mild) (n = 23). SARS-CoV-2 genomic diversity profiles were also examined from daily sampling of culture experiments for three SARS-CoV-2 variants (Lineage A, B.1.351, and B.1.617.2) cultured in VeroE6 C1008 cells (n = 33). Results Intrahost single nucleotide variants were detected in 83% (19/23) of the mild cohort cases and 100% (16/16) of the severe cohort cases. SNP profiles remained relatively fixed over time, with an average of 1.66 SNPs gained or lost, and an average of 4.2 and 5.9 low frequency variants per patient were detected in severe and mild infection, respectively. sgRNA was detected in 100% (25/25) of the mild genomes and 92% (24/26) of the severe genomes. Total sgRNA expressed across all genes in the mild cohort was significantly higher than that of the severe cohort. Significantly higher expression levels were detected in the spike and the nucleocapsid genes. There was significantly less sgRNA detected in the culture dilutions than the clinical cohorts. Discussion and Conclusion The positions and frequencies of iSNVs in the severe and mild infection cohorts were dynamic overtime, highlighting the importance of continual monitoring, particularly during community outbreaks where multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants may co-circulate. sgRNA levels can vary across patients and the overall level of sgRNA reads compared to genomic RNA can be less than 1%. The relative contribution of sgRNA to the severity of illness warrants further investigation given the level of variation between genomes. Further monitoring of sgRNAs will improve the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 evolution and the effectiveness of therapeutic and public health containment measures during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E. Agius
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Jessica C. Johnson-Mackinnon
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: Jessica C. Johnson-Mackinnon,
| | - Winkie Fong
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mailie Gall
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, NSW Health Pathology – Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Connie Lam
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Kerri Basile
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, NSW Health Pathology – Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Jen Kok
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, NSW Health Pathology – Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Alicia Arnott
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, NSW Health Pathology – Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Vitali Sintchenko
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, NSW Health Pathology – Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Rebecca J. Rockett
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
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Isothermal amplification using sequence-specific fluorescence detection of SARS coronavirus 2 and variants in nasal swabs. Biotechniques 2022; 72:263-272. [PMID: 35545967 PMCID: PMC9248022 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2022-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 is a public health challenge requiring rapid testing for the detection of infections and transmission. Nucleic acid amplification tests targeting SARS coronavirus 2 (CoV2) are used to detect CoV2 in clinical samples. Real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR is the standard nucleic acid amplification test for CoV2, although reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification is used in diagnostics. The authors demonstrate a sequence-specific reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification-based nucleic acid amplification assay that is finished within 30 min using minimally processed clinical nasal swab samples and describe a fluorescence-quenched reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay using labeled primers and a quencher oligonucleotide. This assay can achieve rapid (30 min) and sensitive (1000 plaque-forming units/ml) fluorescence detection of CoV2 (WA1/2020), B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and variants of concern Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) in nasal samples. The authors describe a sequence-specific nucleic acid amplification assay (fluorescence-quenched reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification) based on a modified reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay that utilizes a fluorescence-labeled reporter primer and a short complementary oligonucleotide quencher to detect SARS coronavirus 2 in minimally processed clinical nasal swab samples. The fluorescence-quenched reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay is completed in 30 min without purifying RNA and achieves reproducible, sensitive and specific (1000 plaque-forming units/ml) detection of SARS coronavirus 2 WA1/2020 and three SARS coronavirus 2 variant viruses while not signaling on three closely related human coronaviruses or two other heterologous human respiratory viruses.
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Effect of Short Time of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Caco-2 Cells. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040704. [PMID: 35458434 PMCID: PMC9031642 DOI: 10.3390/v14040704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) clinical manifestations include the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting around 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected children. In the present work, the consequence of a short time of viral absorption (5, 15, 30 and 60 min) was tested on the Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell line. Our findings show that Caco-2 cells are highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, even after 5 min of viral inoculation at a multiplicity of infection of 0.1. No cytopathic effect was evident during the subsequent 7 days of monitoring; nevertheless, the immunofluorescence staining for the viral nucleocapsid confirmed the presence of intracellular SARS-CoV-2. Our findings highlight the very short time during which SARS-CoV-2 is able to infect these cells in vitro.
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Moll T, Odon V, Harvey C, Collins MO, Peden A, Franklin J, Graves E, Marshall JN, Souza CDS, Zhang S, Azzouz M, Gordon D, Krogan N, Ferraiuolo L, Snyder MP, Shaw PJ, Rehwinkel J, Cooper-Knock J. Low expression of EXOSC2 protects against clinical COVID-19 and impedes SARS-CoV-2 replication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.03.06.483172. [PMID: 35291294 PMCID: PMC8923113 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.06.483172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
New therapeutic targets are a valuable resource in the struggle to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified risk loci, but some loci are associated with co-morbidities and are not specific to host-virus interactions. Here, we identify and experimentally validate a link between reduced expression of EXOSC2 and reduced SARS-CoV-2 replication. EXOSC2 was one of 332 host proteins examined, all of which interact directly with SARS-CoV-2 proteins; EXOSC2 interacts with Nsp8 which forms part of the viral RNA polymerase. Lung-specific eQTLs were identified from GTEx (v7) for each of the 332 host proteins. Aggregating COVID-19 GWAS statistics for gene-specific eQTLs revealed an association between increased expression of EXOSC2 and higher risk of clinical COVID-19 which survived stringent multiple testing correction. EXOSC2 is a component of the RNA exosome and indeed, LC-MS/MS analysis of protein pulldowns demonstrated an interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase and the majority of human RNA exosome components. CRISPR/Cas9 introduction of nonsense mutations within EXOSC2 in Calu-3 cells reduced EXOSC2 protein expression, impeded SARS-CoV-2 replication and upregulated oligoadenylate synthase ( OAS) genes, which have been linked to a successful immune response against SARS-CoV-2. Reduced EXOSC2 expression did not reduce cellular viability. OAS gene expression changes occurred independent of infection and in the absence of significant upregulation of other interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Targeted depletion or functional inhibition of EXOSC2 may be a safe and effective strategy to protect at-risk individuals against clinical COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Moll
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Valerie Odon
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Calum Harvey
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mark O Collins
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Peden
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - John Franklin
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emily Graves
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jack N.G. Marshall
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Sai Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mimoun Azzouz
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David Gordon
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nevan Krogan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Laura Ferraiuolo
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Michael P Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Pamela J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jan Rehwinkel
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Johnathan Cooper-Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Detection of the ORF1 Gene Is an Indicator of the Possible Isolation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030302. [PMID: 35335626 PMCID: PMC8953321 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the ongoing coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), real-time RT-PCR based diagnostic assays have been used for the detection of infection, but the positive signal of real-time RT-PCR does not necessarily indicate the infectivity of the patient. Due to the unique replication system of the coronavirus, primer/probe sets targeted nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein detect the abundantly synthesized subgenomic RNAs as well as the virus genome, possibly making the assay unsuitable for estimation of the infectivity of the specimen, although it has an advantage for the diagnostic tests. In this study, the primer/probe set targeting the open reading frame 1a (ORF1a) gene was developed to specifically detect viral genomic RNA. Then the relation between the ORF1a signal and infectivity of the clinical specimens was validated by virus isolation using VeroE6 cells, which constitutively express transmembrane protease, serine 2, (VeroE6/TMPRSS2). The analytical sensitivity of developed ORF1a set was similar to that of previously developed N and S sets. Nevertheless, in the assay of the clinical specimen, detection rate of the ORF1a gene was lower than that of the N and S genes. These data indicated that clinical specimens contain a significant amount of subgenomic RNAs. However, as expected, the isolation-succeeded specimen always showed an RT-PCR-positive signal for the ORF1a gene, suggesting ORF1a detection in combination with N and S sets could be a more rational indicator for the possible infectivity of the clinical specimens.
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Loss of Detection of sgN Precedes Viral Abridged Replication in COVID-19-Affected Patients-A Target for SARS-CoV-2 Propagation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23041941. [PMID: 35216056 PMCID: PMC8878976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23041941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of prophylactic agents against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a public health priority in the search for new surrogate markers of active virus replication. Early detection markers are needed to follow disease progression and foresee patient negativization. Subgenomic RNA transcripts (with a focus on sgN) were evaluated in oro/nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19-affected patients with an analysis of 315 positive samples using qPCR technology. Cut-off Cq values for sgN (Cq < 33.15) and sgE (Cq < 34.06) showed correlations to high viral loads. The specific loss of sgN in home-isolated and hospitalized COVID-19-positive patients indicated negativization of patient condition, 3–7 days from the first swab, respectively. A new detection kit for sgN, gene E, gene ORF1ab, and gene RNAse P was developed recently. In addition, in vitro studies have shown that 2’-O-methyl antisense RNA (related to the sgN sequence) can impair SARS-CoV-2 N protein synthesis, viral replication, and syncytia formation in human cells (i.e., HEK-293T cells overexpressing ACE2) upon infection with VOC Alpha (B.1.1.7)-SARS-CoV-2 variant, defining the use that this procedure might have for future therapeutic actions against SARS-CoV-2.
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