SARS-CoV-2 diverges from other betacoronaviruses in only partially activating the IRE1a/XBP1 ER stress pathway in human lung-derived cells
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ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed over 6 million individuals worldwide and continues to spread in countries where vaccines are not yet widely available, or its citizens are hesitant to become vaccinated. Therefore, it is critical to unravel the molecular mechanisms that allow SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses to infect and overtake the host machinery of human cells. Coronavirus replication triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a key host cell pathway widely believed essential for viral replication. We examined the master UPR sensor IRE1a kinase/RNase and its downstream transcription factor effector XBP1s, which is processed through an IRE1a-mediated mRNA splicing event, in human lung-derived cells infected with betacoronaviruses. We found human respiratory coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and murine coronavirus (MHV) all induce ER stress and strongly trigger the kinase and RNase activities of IRE1a as well as XBP1 splicing. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 only partially activates IRE1a through autophosphorylation, but its RNase activity fails to splice XBP1. Moreover, while IRE1a was dispensable for replication in human cells for all coronaviruses tested, it was required for maximal expression of genes associated with several key cellular functions, including the interferon signaling pathway, during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 actively inhibits the RNase of autophosphorylated IRE1a, perhaps as a strategy to eliminate detection by the host immune system.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE193169 | GEO | 2022/07/20
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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