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CRISPR screens for host factors critical for infection by SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

ABSTRACT: The global spread of SARS-CoV-2 lead to the most challenging pandemic in this century, posing major economic and health challenges worldwide. Revealing host genes essential for infection by multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 can provide insights into the virus pathogenesis, and facilitates the development of novel broad-spectrum host-directed therapeutics. Here, employing genome-scale CRISPR screens, we provide a comprehensive data-set of cellular factors that are exploited by WT-SARS-CoV-2 as well as two additional recently emerged variants of concerns (VOCs), Alpha and Beta. These screens identified known and novel host factors critical for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including various components belonging to the Clathrin-dependent transport pathway, ubiquitination and Heparan sulfate biogenesis. In addition, the host phosphatidylglycerol biosynthesis processes appeared to have major anti-viral functions. Comparative analysis of the different VOCs revealed the host factors KREMEN2 and SETDB1 as potential unique candidates required only to the Alpha variant, providing a possible explanation for the increased infectivity of this variant. Furthermore, the analysis identified GATA6, a zinc finger transcription factor, as an essential pro-viral gene for all variants inspected. We revealed that GATA6 directly regulates ACE2 transcription and accordingly, is critical for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. Analysis of clinical samples collected from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals showed an elevated level of GATA6, indicating the important role GATA6 may be playing in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Finally, pharmacological inhibition of GATA6 resulted in down-modulation of ACE2 and consequently to inhibition of the viral infectivity. Overall, we show GATA6 represents a target for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic strategies and reaffirm the value of the CRISPR loss-of-function screens in providing a list of potential new targets for therapeutic interventions.

ORGANISM(S): Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE197962 | GEO | 2022/03/27

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Despite the clinical success of anti-spike vaccines, the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies and vaccines by rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants has been compromised. Viruses can hijack the glycosylation machinery of host cells to shield themselves from the host’s immune response and attenuate antibody efficiency. However, it still remains unclear whether targeting glycosylation on spike can impair SARS-CoV-2 and its variants infectivity. Methods: To assess the binding ability of glycosylated or deglycosylated spike with ACE2, we performed flow cytometry, ELISA, and BioLayer Interferometry methods. Viral entry ability was determined by luciferase intensity, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence assay. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to identify the relationship of STT3A and COVID-19 severity. N-glycosylation regulated by NF-kB/STT3A axis was investigated by knockdown approach, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and promoter assay. To specifically target SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, we developed an antibody-drug conjugate coupling non-neutralization anti-spike antibody with NGI-1 (4G10-ADC) on inhibitory effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: We found receptor binding domain and three SARS-CoV-2 distinct surface Nglycosylation sites in 57,311 spikes retrieved from NCBI-Virus-database are highly evolutionarily conserved (99.67%) and involved in ACE2 interaction. We further identified STT3A as a key glycosyltransferase that catalyzed spike glycosylation and positively correlated with COVID-19 severity. Inhibition of STT3A by N-linked glycosylation inhibitor-1 (NGI-1) impaired SARS-CoV-2 and its variants (B.1.1.7, and B.1.351) infectivity. Most importantly, 4G10-ADC internalized SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and subsequently released NGI-1 to deglycosylate spike protein. Thereby, it reinforces the neutralizing abilities in antibodies, vaccines, or convalescent sera, inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 and its variants’ infectivity. Our results suggest targeting STT3A-mediated evolution conserved glycosylation via ADC can provide a widespread impact on SARS-CoV-2 variants infection. Together, we identified a novel deglycosylation method to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 variants infection.

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CRISPR screens for host factors critical for infection by SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

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