Project description:OBJECTIVES:To summarise the evidence on the detection pattern and viral load of SARS-CoV-2 over the course of an infection (including any asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic phase), and the duration of infectivity. METHODS:A systematic literature search was undertaken in PubMed, Europe PubMed Central and EMBASE from 30 December 2019 to 12 May 2020. RESULTS:We identified 113 studies conducted in 17 countries. The evidence from upper respiratory tract samples suggests that the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 peaks around symptom onset or a few days thereafter, and becomes undetectable about two weeks after symptom onset; however, viral loads from sputum samples may be higher, peak later and persist for longer. There is evidence of prolonged virus detection in stool samples, with unclear clinical significance. No study was found that definitively measured the duration of infectivity; however, patients may not be infectious for the entire duration of virus detection, as the presence of viral ribonucleic acid may not represent transmissible live virus. CONCLUSION:There is a relatively consistent trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 viral load over the course of COVID-19 from respiratory tract samples, however the duration of infectivity remains uncertain.
Project description:Viral infection is a great challenge in healthcare and agriculture. The Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) is highly infectious to numerous marine fishes and increasingly threatens mariculture and wildlife conservation. SGIV intervention is not available because little is known about key players and their precise roles in SGVI infection. Here we report the precise role of VP088 as a key player in SGIV infection. VP088 was verified as an envelope protein encoded by late gene orf088. We show that SGIV could be neutralized with an antibody against VP088. Depletion or deletion of VP088 significantly suppresses SGIV infection without altering viral gene expression and host responses. By precisely quantifying the genome copy numbers of host cells and virions, we reveal that VP088 deletion dramatically reduces SGIV infectivity through inhibiting virus entry without altering viral pathogenicity, genome stability and replication and progeny virus release. These results pinpoint that VP088 is a key player in SGIV entry and represents an ideal target for SGIV intervention.
Project description:Cardiovascular complications are major clinical hallmarks of acute and post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the mechanistic details of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity of endothelial cells remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein shares a similarity with the proline-rich binding ena/VASP homology (EVH1) domain and identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident calreticulin (CALR) as an S-RBD interacting protein. Our biochemical analysis showed that CALR, via its proline-rich (P) domain, interacts with S-RBD and modulates proteostasis of the S protein. Treatment of cells with the proteasomal inhibitor bortezomib increased the expression of the S protein independent of CALR, whereas the lysosomal/autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin 1A, which interferes with the acidification of lysosome, selectively augmented the S protein levels in a CALR-dependent manner. More importantly, the shRNA-mediated knockdown of CALR increased SARS-CoV-2 infection and impaired calcium homeostasis of human endothelial cells. This study provides new insight into the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, calcium hemostasis, and the role of CALR in the ER-lysosome-dependent proteolysis of the spike protein, which could be associated with cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients.
Project description:S-acylation, also known as palmitoylation, is the most widely prevalent form of protein lipidation, whereby long-chain fatty acids get attached to cysteine residues facing the cytosol. In humans, 23 members of the zDHHC family of integral membrane enzymes catalyze this modification. S-acylation is critical for the life cycle of many enveloped viruses. The Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has the most cysteine-rich cytoplasmic tail among known human pathogens in the closely related family of β-coronaviruses; however, it is unclear which of the cytoplasmic cysteines are S-acylated, and what the impact of this modification is on viral infectivity. Here we identify specific cysteine clusters in the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that are targets of S-acylation. Interestingly, when we investigated the effect of the cysteine clusters using pseudotyped virus, mutation of the same three clusters of cysteines severely compromised viral infectivity. We developed a library of expression constructs of human zDHHC enzymes and used them to identify zDHHC enzymes that can S-acylate SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Finally, we reconstituted S-acylation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in vitro using purified zDHHC enzymes. We observe a striking heterogeneity in the S-acylation status of the different cysteines in our in cellulo experiments, which, remarkably, was recapitulated by the in vitro assay. Altogether, these results bolster our understanding of a poorly understood posttranslational modification integral to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. This study opens up avenues for further mechanistic dissection and lays the groundwork toward developing future strategies that could aid in the identification of targeted small-molecule modulators.
Project description:Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the viral genome has acquired numerous mutations with the potential to alter the viral infectivity and antigenicity. Part of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has conferred virus the ability to spread more quickly and escape from the immune response caused by the monoclonal neutralizing antibody or vaccination. Herein, we summarize the spatiotemporal distribution of mutations in spike protein, and present recent efforts and progress in investigating the impacts of those mutations on viral infectivity and antigenicity. As mutations continue to emerge in SARS-CoV-2, we strive to provide systematic evaluation of mutations in spike protein, which is vitally important for the subsequent improvement of vaccine and therapeutic neutralizing antibody strategies.
Project description:SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is constantly evolving to adapt to the host and evade antiviral immunity. The newly emerging variants N501Y.V1 (B.1.1.7) and N501Y.V2 (B.1.351), first reported in the United Kingdom and South Africa respectively, raised concerns due to the unusually rapid global spread. The mutations in spike (S) protein may contribute to the rapid spread of these variants. Here, with a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based pseudotype system, we demonstrated that the pseudovirus bearing N501Y.V2 S protein has higher infection efficiency than pseudovirus with wildtype (WT) and D614G S protein. Moreover, pseudovirus with N501Y.V1 or N501Y.V2 S protein has better thermal stability than WT and D614G, suggesting these mutations of variants may increase the stability of SARS-CoV-2 S protein and virion. However, the pseudovirus bearing N501Y.V1 or N501Y.V2 S protein has similar sensitivity to inhibitors of protease and endocytosis with WT and D614G. These findings could be of value in preventing the spread of virus and developing drugs for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Project description:Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as glycosylation and palmitoylation, are critical to protein folding, stability, intracellular trafficking, and function. Understanding regulation of PTMs of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein could help the therapeutic drug design. Herein, the VSV vector was used to produce SARS-CoV-2 S pseudoviruses to examine the roles of the 611LYQD614 and cysteine-rich motifs in S protein maturation and virus infectivity. Our results show that 611LY612 mutation alters S protein intracellular trafficking and reduces cell surface expression level. It also changes S protein glycosylation pattern and decreases pseudovirus infectivity. The S protein contains four cysteine-rich clusters with clusters I and II as the main palmitoylation sites. Mutations of clusters I and II disrupt S protein trafficking from ER-to-Golgi, suppress pseudovirus production, and reduce spike-mediated membrane fusion activity. Taken together, glycosylation and palmitoylation orchestrate the S protein maturation processing and are critical for S protein-mediated membrane fusion and infection.
Project description:The development of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has prompted an extensive worldwide sequencing effort to characterise the geographical spread and molecular evolution of the virus. A point mutation in the spike protein, D614G, emerged as the virus spread from Asia into Europe and the USA, and has rapidly become the dominant form worldwide. Here we review how the D614G variant was identified and discuss recent evidence about the effect of the mutation on the characteristics of the virus, clinical outcome of infection and host immune response.
Project description:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the cause of an atypical pneumonia that affected Asia, North America and Europe in 2002-2003. The viral spike (S) glycoprotein is responsible for mediating receptor binding and membrane fusion. Recent studies have proposed that the carboxyl terminal portion (S2 subunit) of the S protein is a class I viral fusion protein. The Wimley and White interfacial hydrophobicity scale was used to identify regions within the CoV S2 subunit that may preferentially associate with lipid membranes with the premise that peptides analogous to these regions may function as inhibitors of viral infectivity. Five regions of high interfacial hydrophobicity spanning the length of the S2 subunit of SARS-CoV and murine hepatitis virus (MHV) were identified. Peptides analogous to regions of the N-terminus or the pre-transmembrane domain of the S2 subunit inhibited SARS-CoV plaque formation by 40-70% at concentrations of 15-30 microM. Interestingly, peptides analogous to the SARS-CoV or MHV loop region inhibited viral plaque formation by >80% at similar concentrations. The observed effects were dose-dependent (IC50 values of 2-4 microM) and not a result of peptide-mediated cell cytotoxicity. The antiviral activity of the CoV peptides tested provides an attractive basis for the development of new fusion peptide inhibitors corresponding to regions outside the fusion protein heptad repeat regions.
Project description:BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and neuropilin-1 (NRP1) receptors for entry into cells, and the serine protease TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. Inhibition of protease activity or the engagement with ACE2 and NRP1 receptors has been shown to be an effective strategy for blocking infectivity and viral spreading. Valproic acid (VPA; 2-propylpentanoic acid) is an epigenetic drug approved for clinical use. It produces potent antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects through its function as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. Here, we propose VPA as a potential candidate to tackle COVID-19, in which rapid viral spread and replication, and hyperinflammation are crucial elements.ResultsWe used diverse cell lines (HK-2, Huh-7, HUVEC, Caco-2, and BEAS-2B) to analyze the effect of VPA and other HDAC inhibitors on the expression of the ACE-2 and NRP-1 receptors and their ability to inhibit infectivity, viral production, and the inflammatory response. Treatment with VPA significantly reduced expression of the ACE2 and NRP1 host proteins in all cell lines through a mechanism mediated by its HDAC inhibitory activity. The effect is maintained after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Consequently, the treatment of cells with VPA before infection impairs production of SARS-CoV-2 infectious viruses, but not that of other ACE2- and NRP1-independent viruses (VSV and HCoV-229E). Moreover, the addition of VPA 1 h post-infection with SARS-CoV-2 reduces the production of infectious viruses in a dose-dependent manner without significantly modifying the genomic and subgenomic messenger RNAs (gRNA and sg mRNAs) or protein levels of N protein. The production of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) induced by TNF-α and SARS-CoV-2 infection is diminished in the presence of VPA.ConclusionsOur data showed that VPA blocks three essential processes determining the severity of COVID-19. It downregulates the expression of ACE2 and NRP1, reducing the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2; it decreases viral yields, probably because it affects virus budding or virions stability; and it dampens the triggered inflammatory response. Thus, administering VPA could be considered a safe treatment for COVID-19 patients until vaccines have been rolled out across the world.