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Ayyubova G, Gychka SG, Nikolaienko SI, Alghenaim FA, Teramoto T, Shults NV, Suzuki YJ. The Role of Furin in the Pathogenesis of COVID-19-Associated Neurological Disorders. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:279. [PMID: 38398788 PMCID: PMC10890058 DOI: 10.3390/life14020279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurological disorders have been reported in a large number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, suggesting that this disease may have long-term adverse neurological consequences. COVID-19 occurs from infection by a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The membrane fusion protein of SARS-CoV-2, the spike protein, binds to its human host receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), to initiate membrane fusion between the virus and host cell. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains the furin protease recognition site and its cleavage enhances the infectivity of this virus. The binding of SARS-CoV-2 to the ACE2 receptor has been shown to downregulate ACE2, thereby increasing the levels of pathogenic angiotensin II (Ang II). The furin protease cleaves between the S1 subunit of the spike protein with the binding domain toward ACE2 and the S2 subunit with the transmembrane domain that anchors to the viral membrane, and this activity releases the S1 subunit into the blood circulation. The released S1 subunit of the spike protein also binds to and downregulates ACE2, in turn increasing the level of Ang II. Considering that a viral particle contains many spike protein molecules, furin-dependent cleavage would release many free S1 protein molecules, each of which can downregulate ACE2, while infection with a viral particle only affects one ACE2 molecule. Therefore, the furin-dependent release of S1 protein would dramatically amplify the ability to downregulate ACE2 and produce Ang II. We hypothesize that this amplification mechanism that the virus possesses, but not the infection per se, is the major driving force behind COVID-19-associated neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunel Ayyubova
- Department of Cytology, Embryology and Histology, Azerbaijan Medical University, Baku AZ1022, Azerbaijan;
| | - Sergiy G. Gychka
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.G.G.); (S.I.N.)
| | - Sofia I. Nikolaienko
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.G.G.); (S.I.N.)
| | - Fada A. Alghenaim
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
| | - Tadahisa Teramoto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
| | - Nataliia V. Shults
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
| | - Yuichiro J. Suzuki
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
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Bejoy J, Williams CI, Cole HJ, Manzoor S, Davoodi P, Battaile JI, Kaushik A, Nikolaienko SI, Brelidze TI, Gychka SG, Suzuki YJ. Effects of spike proteins on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Arch Biochem Biophys 2023; 748:109769. [PMID: 37769892 PMCID: PMC10615800 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2023.109769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which enters host cells through interactions of its spike protein to Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is a peptidase that cleaves Angiotensin II, a critical pathological mediator. This study investigated if the spike protein binding to ACE2 compromises its peptidase activity. Spike/ACE2 Binding Assays suggested that spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but not HKU1, bind to ACE2. S1 and receptor-binding domain (RBD), but not S2, extracellular domain (ECD) or CendR domain, bind to ACE2. While glycosylated spike proteins prepared in HEK293 cells bind to ACE2, non-glycosylated proteins produced in E. coli do not. Cysteine residues of the spike protein expressed in HEK293 cells are fully oxidized, while those of the protein expressed in E. coli are reduced. The deglycosylation of HEK cell-produced protein attenuates the ACE2 binding, while the oxidation of the E. coli protein does not promote the binding. The S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2 enhances the ACE2 peptidase activity, while SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV or HKU1 does not. The ACE2 activity is enhanced by RBD, but not ECD or CendR. In contrast to distinct ACE2 binding capacities of proteins expressed in HEK293 cells and in E. coli, spike proteins expressed in both systems enhance the ACE2 activity. Thus, the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, but not other coronaviruses, enhances the ACE2 peptidase activity through its RBD in a glycosylation-independent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennyfer Bejoy
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Charlye I Williams
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Hattie J Cole
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Shavaiz Manzoor
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Parsa Davoodi
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Jacqueline I Battaile
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Arjun Kaushik
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Sofia I Nikolaienko
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine
| | - Tinatin I Brelidze
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA
| | - Sergiy G Gychka
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine
| | - Yuichiro J Suzuki
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, 20007, USA.
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Gychka SG, Brelidze TI, Kuchyn IL, Savchuk TV, Nikolaienko SI, Zhezhera VM, Chermak II, Suzuki YJ. Placental vascular remodeling in pregnant women with COVID-19. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268591. [PMID: 35905056 PMCID: PMC9337689 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been causing the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has so far resulted in over 450 million infections and six million deaths. This respiratory virus uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 as a receptor to enter host cells and affects various tissues in addition to the lungs. The present study reports that the placental arteries of women who gave birth to live full-term newborns while developing COVID-19 during pregnancy exhibit severe vascular wall thickening and the occlusion of the vascular lumen. A morphometric analysis of the placental arteries stained with hematoxylin and eosin suggests a 2-fold increase in wall thickness and a 5-fold decrease in the lumen area. Placental vascular remodeling was found to occur in all of SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers as defined by RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry with α-smooth muscle actin and the Kv11.1 channel as well as Masson's trichrome staining showed that such placental vascular remodeling in COVID-19 is associated with smooth muscle proliferation and fibrosis. Placental vascular remodeling may represent a response mechanism to the clinical problems associated with childbirth in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiy G. Gychka
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Tinatin I. Brelidze
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | | | - Tetyana V. Savchuk
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Sofia I. Nikolaienko
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Ihor I. Chermak
- Academy of Human Health, Kyiv City Medical Center, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Yuichiro J. Suzuki
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
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Suzuki YJ, Nikolaienko SI, Shults NV, Gychka SG. COVID-19 patients may become predisposed to pulmonary arterial hypertension. Med Hypotheses 2021; 147:110483. [PMID: 33444904 PMCID: PMC7787059 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2021.110483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that have killed over one million people worldwide so far. To date, over forty million people have officially been identified to be infected with this virus with less than 3% death rate. Since many more people are expected to have been infected with this virus without the official diagnosis, the number of people who have recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 infection should be substantial. Given the large number of people recovered from either the mild SARS-CoV-2 infection or more severe COVID-19 conditions, it is critical to understand the long-term consequences of the infection by this virus. Our histological evaluations revealed that patients died of COVID-19 exhibited thickened pulmonary vascular walls, one important hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). By contrast, such pulmonary vascular remodeling lesions were not found in patients died of SARS-CoV-1 during the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak or due to the infection by H1N1 influenza. The advancement in the treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been remarkable that HIV-infected individuals now live for a long time, in turn revealing that these individuals become susceptible to developing PAH, a fatal condition. We herein hypothesize that SARS-CoV-2 is another virus that is capable to triggering the increased susceptibility of infected individuals to developing PAH in the future. Given the large number of people being infected with SARS-CoV-2 during this pandemic and that most people recover from severe, mild or asymptomatic conditions, it is imperative to generate scientific information on how the health of recovered individuals may be affected long-term. PAH is one lethal consequence that should be considered and needs to be monitored. This may also foster the research on developing therapeutic agents to prevent PAH, which has not so far been successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro J Suzuki
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
| | - Sofia I Nikolaienko
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv 01601, Ukraine
| | - Nataliia V Shults
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Sergiy G Gychka
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv 01601, Ukraine
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Gychka SG, Shults NV, Nikolaienko SI, Marcocci L, Sariipek NE, Rybka V, Malysheva TA, Dibrova VA, Suzuki YJ, Gavrish AS. Vasa Vasorum Lumen Narrowing in Brain Vascular Hyalinosis in Systemic Hypertension Patients Who Died of Ischemic Stroke. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249611. [PMID: 33348552 PMCID: PMC7767198 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death among patients with systemic hypertension. The narrowing of the lumen of the brain vasculature contributes to the increased incidence of stroke. While hyalinosis represents the major pathological lesions contributing to vascular lumen narrowing and stroke, the pathogenic mechanism of brain vascular hyalinosis has not been well characterized. Thus, the present study examined the postmortem brain vasculature of human patients who died of ischemic stroke due to systemic hypertension. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry showed the occurrence of brain vascular hyalinosis with infiltrated plasma proteins along with the narrowing of the vasa vasorum and oxidative stress. Transmission electron microscopy revealed endothelial cell bulge protrusion into the vasa vasorum lumen and the occurrence of endocytosis in the vasa vasorum endothelium. The treatment of cultured microvascular endothelial cells with adrenaline also promoted the formation of the bulge as well as endocytic vesicles. The siRNA knockdown of sortin nexin-9 (a mediator of clathrin-mediated endocytosis) inhibited adrenaline-induced endothelial cell bulge formation. Adrenaline promoted protein-protein interactions between sortin nexin-9 and neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (a regulator of actin polymerization). Spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats also exhibited lesions indicative of brain vascular hyalinosis, the endothelial cell protrusion into the lumen of the vasa vasorum, and endocytosis in vasa vasorum endothelial cells. We propose that endocytosis-dependent endothelial cell bulge protrusion narrows the vasa vasorum, resulting in ischemic oxidative damage to cerebral vessels, the formation of hyalinosis, the occurrence of ischemic stroke, and death in systemic hypertension patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiy G. Gychka
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.I.N.); (V.A.D.); (A.S.G.)
- Correspondence: (S.G.G.); (Y.J.S.); Tel.: +1-202-687-8090 (Y.J.S.)
| | - Nataliia V. Shults
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA; (N.V.S.); (N.E.S.); (V.R.)
| | - Sofia I. Nikolaienko
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.I.N.); (V.A.D.); (A.S.G.)
| | - Lucia Marcocci
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Nurefsan E. Sariipek
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA; (N.V.S.); (N.E.S.); (V.R.)
| | - Vladyslava Rybka
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA; (N.V.S.); (N.E.S.); (V.R.)
| | - Tatiana A. Malysheva
- Department of Neuropathomorphology, Romodanov Neurosurgery Institute, 04050 Kyiv, Ukraine;
| | - Vyacheslav A. Dibrova
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.I.N.); (V.A.D.); (A.S.G.)
| | - Yuichiro J. Suzuki
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA; (N.V.S.); (N.E.S.); (V.R.)
- Correspondence: (S.G.G.); (Y.J.S.); Tel.: +1-202-687-8090 (Y.J.S.)
| | - Alexander S. Gavrish
- Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine; (S.I.N.); (V.A.D.); (A.S.G.)
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Suzuki YJ, Nikolaienko SI, Dibrova VA, Dibrova YV, Vasylyk VM, Novikov MY, Shults NV, Gychka SG. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell signaling in lung vascular cells. bioRxiv 2020. [PMID: 33052333 DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.12.335083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Currently, the world is suffering from the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor to enter the host cells. So far, 30 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and nearly 1 million people have died because of COVID-19 worldwide, causing serious health, economical, and sociological problems. However, the mechanism of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on human host cells has not been defined. The present study reports that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein alone without the rest of the viral components is sufficient to elicit cell signaling in lung vascular cells. The treatment of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells or human pulmonary artery endothelial cells with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 subunit (Val16 - Gln690) at 10 ng/ml (0.13 nM) caused an activation of MEK phosphorylation. The activation kinetics was transient with a peak at 10 min. The recombinant protein that contains only the ACE2 receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 subunit (Arg319 - Phe541), on the other hand, did not cause this activation. Consistent with the activation of cell growth signaling in lung vascular cells by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, pulmonary vascular walls were found to be thickened in COVID-19 patients. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell growth signaling may participate in adverse cardiovascular/pulmonary outcomes, and this mechanism may provide new therapeutic targets to combat COVID-19.
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