Article
Biology
Djordje Atanackovic, Stephanie Avila, Forat Lutfi, Diego de Miguel-Perez, Xiaoxuan Fan, Gabriela Sanchez-Petitto, Erica Vander Mause, Jonathan Siglin, John Baddley, Heather D. Mannuel, Hanan Alkhaldi, Kim G. Hankey, Rena Lapidus, Michael Kleinberg, Joseph Rabin, Carl Shanholtz, Christian Rolfo, Aaron P. Rapoport, Saurabh Dahiya, Tim Luetkens
Summary: The study screened COVID-19 patients for antibodies against 9 different SARS-CoV-2 proteins, identifying immune responses in high-risk patients with significantly higher levels of certain antibodies and transforming growth factor beta, as well as lower levels of specific T cell expression. These findings aid in understanding humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants and can assist in designing more effective immunomonitoring methods for COVID-19 vaccines.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Blake M. Hauser, Maya Sangesland, Evan C. Lam, Jared Feldman, Alejandro B. Balazs, Daniel Lingwood, Aaron G. Schmidt
Summary: This study evaluated the immune responses to SARS-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) vaccine candidates in the context of pre-existing immunity. Boosting with the RBD resulted in increased reactivity to RBD epitopes, while both immunization regimens showed broad neutralization against diverse sarbecoviruses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yunlong Cao, Weiliang Song, Lei Wang, Pan Liu, Can Yue, Fanchong Jian, Yuanling Yu, Ayijiang Yisimayi, Peng Wang, Yao Wang, Qianhui Zhu, Jie Deng, Wangjun Fu, Lingling Yu, Na Zhang, Jing Wang, Tianhe Xiao, Ran An, Lu Liu, Sijie Yang, Xiao Niu, Qingqing Gu, Fei Shao, Xiaohua Hao, Bo Meng, Ravindra Kumar Gupta, Ronghua Jin, Youchun Wang, Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, Xiangxi Wang
Summary: The newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant, BA.2.75, has shown a growth advantage over other circulating variants in India. This study reveals that BA.2.75 has a higher affinity for the host receptor ACE2 and exhibits increased low-pH-endosomal cell entry. It also demonstrates reduced evasion of humoral immunity from certain convalescent plasma, while showing a distinct neutralizing antibody escape pattern. These findings suggest that BA.2.75 may become the dominant variant following BA.4/BA.5.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ambroise D. Ahouidi, Mary A. Rodgers, Abdou Padane, Nafissatou Leye, Ana Olivo, Moustapha Mbow, Aminata Mboup, Papa Alassane Diaw, Aminata Dia, Barbara Harris, Yacine Amet Dia Padane, Gora Lo, Todd V. Meyer, Cyrille K. Diedhiou, Diabou Diagne, Ndeye Coumba Toure Kane, Gavin Cloherty, Souleymane Mboup
Summary: The study identified new combinations of SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations in second wave specimens, indicating evidence of local diversification during the pandemic and parallel evolution of escape mutations in different lineages.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Huan Ma, Xinghai Zhang, Weihong Zeng, Junhui Zhou, Xiangyang Chi, Shaohong Chen, Peiyi Zheng, Meihua Wang, Yan Wu, Dan Zhao, Fanwu Gong, Haofeng Lin, Hancong Sun, Changming Yu, Zhengli Shi, Xiaowen Hu, Huajun Zhang, Tengchuan Jin, Sandra Chiu
Summary: This study identifies a nanobody that strongly cross-reacts with the receptor binding domain of both SARS-CoV-1 and wild-type SARS-CoV-2, and demonstrates its potential for neutralizing these viruses. The researchers also engineered a bispecific nanobody dimer that effectively neutralizes major variants, including Omicron. The findings expand the options for combating SARS-CoV-1 and provide potential therapeutic and prophylactic candidates against major SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Article
Microbiology
Devon A. Gregory, Monica Trujillo, Clayton Rushford, Anna Flury, Sherin Kannoly, Kaung Myat San, Dustin T. Lyfoung, Roger W. Wiseman, Karen Bromert, Ming-Yi Zhou, Ellen Kesler, Nathan J. Bivens, Jay Hoskins, Chung-Ho Lin, David H. O'Connor, Chris Wieberg, Jeff Wenzel, Rose S. Kantor, John J. Dennehy, Marc C. Johnson
Summary: Wastewater-based epidemiology is an effective method for tracking the appearance and spread of SARS-COV-2 lineages in communities. In 2021, novel SARS-COV-2 RBD lineages were consistently detected in wastewater samples from 9 sewersheds in the US, containing multiple amino acid substitutions and sharing similarities with the Omicron variant. These lineages, potentially originating from long-term patient infections or animal reservoirs, demonstrate greater genetic diversity than commonly observed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alona Kuzmina, Seraj Wattad, Yara Khalaila, Aner Ottolenghi, Benyamin Rosental, Stanislav Engel, Elli Rosenberg, Ran Taube
Summary: The study found that both Delta and Kappa variants were successfully neutralized by convalescent and post-vaccination sera, with Delta variant showing higher infectivity levels. The Delta plus variant exhibited high resistance to post-vaccination sera, similar to the Beta variant, but had infectivity levels close to the wild-type SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yongbo Qiao, Shuang Li, Shenghui Jin, Yi Pan, Yuhua Shi, Wei Kong, Yaming Shan
Summary: This study developed nanoparticle vaccines based on the HA stem of influenza virus, showing that CDh-based nanovaccine induced robust immune responses and complete protection in mice against H3N2 virus challenge, while Ah-f group had no remarkable effects. Conjugating epitopes with ferritin NPs may be a potential platform for vaccines against other infectious viruses, such as SARS-COV-2.
Article
Microbiology
Yan Guo, Wenhui He, Huihui Mou, Lizhou Zhang, Jing Chang, Shoujiao Peng, Amrita Ojha, Rubens Tavora, Mark S. Parcells, Guangxiang Luo, Wenhui Li, Guocai Zhong, Hyeryun Choe, Michael Farzan, Brian D. Quinlan
Summary: The RBD domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is the primary target for neutralizing antibodies and plays a critical role in viral entry. Engineered gRBD with enhanced expression and immunogenicity may improve the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Multivalent gRBD antigens have the potential to reduce costs, doses, and enhance the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines.
Article
Virology
Jin-Yan Li, Qiong Wang, Ce-Heng Liao, Ye Qiu, Xing-Yi Ge
Summary: The study investigated the role of three residues in the RBD of WIV1 and SARS-CoV, and found that S442 is critical for WIV1 adapting to bats as its natural hosts. These results enhance our understanding of host adaptations and cross-species infections of coronaviruses.
Article
Cell Biology
David R. Martinez, Alexandra Schafer, Sophie Gobeil, Dapeng Li, Gabriela De la Cruz, Robert Parks, Xiaozhi Lu, Maggie Barr, Victoria Stalls, Katarzyna Janowska, Esther Beaudoin, Kartik Manne, Katayoun Mansouri, Robert J. Edwards, Kenneth Cronin, Boyd Yount, Kara Anasti, Stephanie A. Montgomery, Juanjie Tang, Hana Golding, Shaunna Shen, Tongqing Zhou, Peter D. Kwong, Barney S. Graham, John R. Mascola, David C. Montefiori, S. Munir Alam, Gregory Sempowski, Gregory D. Sempowski, Surender Khurana, Kevin Wiehe, Kevin O. Saunders, Priyamvada Acharya, Barton F. Haynes, Ralph S. Baric
Summary: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoVs), including SARS-CoV-2 variants, can cause deadly infections. A human antibody called DH1047 has been shown to neutralize SARS-CoV and various coronaviruses, and protect against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 infection in mice. The study suggests that DH1047 could be a broadly protective antibody and a potential target for a universal sarbecovirus vaccine.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jing Yang, Sheng Lin, Honglu Sun, Zimin Chen, Fanli Yang, Xi Lin, Liyan Guo, Lingling Wang, Ao Wen, Xindan Zhang, Yushan Dai, Bin He, Yu Cao, Haohao Dong, Xianbo Liu, Bo Chen, Jian Li, Qi Zhao, Guangwen Lu
Summary: This study identifies a potent neutralizing nanobody, Nb-007, against SARS-CoV-2. Nb-007 exhibits excellent virus entry-inhibition activity by competing with ACE2 for viral binding. Furthermore, fusion with Fc significantly enhances its entry-inhibition capacity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ida Jarlhelt, Sif Kaas Nielsen, Camilla Xenia Holtermann Jahn, Cecilie Bo Hansen, Laura Perez-Alos, Anne Rosbjerg, Rafael Bayarri-Olmos, Mikkel-Ole Skjoedt, Peter Garred
Summary: The study found that antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in complement activation and significant inflammatory responses through cellular immune-complex activation. This could potentially exacerbate the severity of COVID-19.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pujarini Dash, Jyotirmayee Turuk, Santosh K. Behera, Subrata Kumar Palo, Sunil K. Raghav, Arup Ghosh, Jyotsnamayee Sabat, Sonalika Rath, Subhra Subhadra, Khokan Rana, Debdutta Bhattacharya, Srikanta Kanungo, Jaya Singh Kshatri, Bijaya Kumar Mishra, Saroj Dash, Ajay Parida, Sanghamitra Pati
Summary: This study analyzed the spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) sequence of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from COVID-19-positive patients in Odisha, India, and found a specific mutation leading to stronger binding affinity with human ACE2. The RBDs of all Indian isolates showed affinity for ACE2 of different species, suggesting potential wide infectivity and natural reservoirs for the virus.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuichiro Yamamoto, Yoshio Nakano, Mana Murae, Yoshimi Shimizu, Shota Sakai, Motohiko Ogawa, Tomoharu Mizukami, Tetsuya Inoue, Taishi Onodera, Yoshimasa Takahashi, Takaji Wakita, Masayoshi Fukasawa, Satoru Miyazaki, Kohji Noguchi
Summary: Peracetic acid (PAA) disinfectants have been proven effective against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2. This study investigated the efficacy of PAA against SARS-CoV-2 variants and the molecular mechanism behind it. The findings showed that PAA effectively suppressed infection by pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2 viruses by cleaving the disulfide bridges in the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD) and destabilizing the spike protein.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sang Wan Sim, Yuyeon Jang, Tae Sub Park, Byung-Chul Park, Young Mok Lee, Hyun Sik Jun
Summary: This study demonstrates the essential role of G6PT in neutrophil differentiation of myeloid progenitor cells and regulation of PPAR gamma activity. G6pt(-/-) mice and G6PT(-/-) HL-60 cells both exhibit severe neutropenia and impaired differentiation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Sangphil Moon, Ibo Janssens, Kyung Hyun Kim, Benoit Stijlemans, Stefan Magez, Magdalena Radwanska
Summary: This study demonstrates that trypanosomosis induces general immunological B-cell memory loss, benefiting the parasite by reducing the requirements for surface antigenic variation.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Benoit Stijlemans, Maxime Schoovaerts, Patrick De Baetselier, Stefan Magez, Carl De Trez
Summary: African trypanosome infection can lead to a seesaw balance between protective immunity and excessive inflammation, with the roles of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) being crucial in modulating the host immune microenvironment. Blocking MIF and promoting IL-10 receptor signaling pathways could potentially be used as therapy to counteract immunopathology development.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Khristine Joy C. Antigua, Yun Hee Baek, Won-Suk Choi, Ju Hwan Jeong, Eun-Ha Kim, Sol Oh, Sun-Woo Yoon, Changil Kim, Eung-Gook Kim, So-Young Choi, Seung Kon Hong, Young Ki Choi, Min Suk Song
Summary: Novel highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses are circulating worldwide, posing an increasing threat to human health. A study found that specific amino acid substitutions in H5N1 viruses altered their viral activity and protein functionality, with one substitution triggering antigenic drift.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Andres Alvarez-Rodriguez, Bo-Kyung Jin, Magdalena Radwanska, Stefan Magez
Summary: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Trypanosoma brucei. Different subspecies cause different infections. Diagnosing and treating HAT has improved, but further research and improvements are needed.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ju Hwan Jeong, Santosh Chokkakula, Seong Cheol Min, Beom Kyu Kim, Won-Suk Choi, Sol Oh, Yu Soo Yun, Da Hyeon Kang, Ok-Jun Lee, Eung-Gook Kim, Jang-Hoon Choi, Joo-Yeon Lee, Young Ki Choi, Yun Hee Baek, Min-Suk Song
Summary: Combination therapy with nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir significantly inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, improves survival rates, and alleviates clinical severity and virus-induced tissue damage.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Steven Odongo, Hedmon Okella, Christian Ndekezi, Moses Okee, Monica Namayanja, Brian Mujuni, Yann G. J. Sterckx, Dennison Kizito, Magdalena Radwanska, Stefan Magez, Kokas Ikwap, Frank Nobert Mwiine, Julius Julian Lutwama, Charles Ibingira
Summary: This study tracked the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in Uganda and found that these variants have the potential to escape detection, resist antibody therapy, or increase infectivity. These findings are crucial for refining COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Article
Immunology
Hang Thi Thu Nguyen, Magdalena Radwanska, Stefan Magez
Summary: This study identifies an experimental disease model that mimics the major features of chronic animal trypanosomosis caused by extracellular single-celled trypanosomes. It also reveals the complexity of spleen macrophage activation status and the crucial role of tissue resident macrophages in regulating extramedullary erythropoiesis.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Won-Suk Choi, Sol Oh, Khristine Joy C. Antigua, Ju Hwan Jeong, Beom Kyu Kim, Yu Soo Yun, Da Hyeon Kang, Seong Cheol Min, Byung-Kwan Lim, Won Seop Kim, Ji-Hyuk Lee, Eung-Gook Kim, Young Ki Choi, Yun Hee Baek, Min-Suk Song
Summary: Due to the broad spread, incidence, and genetic divergence of enteroviruses (EVs), it has been challenging to deal with this virus that causes severe human diseases. Therefore, an efficient and universal cloning system for the reverse genetics of highly divergent EVs contributes to an understanding of the viral pathology and molecular mechanisms of evolution.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo-kyung Jin, Steven Odongo, Magdalena Radwanska, Stefan Magez
Summary: Nanobodies, derived from heavy-chain only IgG antibodies found in the Camelidae family, possess unique advantages compared to conventional monoclonal antibodies, including their small size, simple structure, high antigen binding affinity, and stability in extreme conditions. They have been extensively studied and have shown promising applications in various research fields, particularly in disease diagnosis and treatment. The recent approval of Caplacizumab, the world's first nanobody-based drug, highlights the potential of nanobodies in therapeutic development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Beom Kyu Kim, Won-Suk Choi, Ju Hwan Jeong, Sol Oh, Ji-Hyun Park, Yu Soo Yun, Seong Cheol Min, Da Hyeon Kang, Eung-Gook Kim, Hojin Ryu, Hye Kwon Kim, Yun Hee Baek, Young Ki Choi, Min-Suk Song
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in late 2020 has raised global public health concerns. In this study, a method using circular polymerase extension cloning (CPEC) is demonstrated to efficiently generate full-length clones of SARS-CoV-2 variants. This method is valuable for studying the molecular characteristics of emerging variants and for the development and testing of vaccines and antivirals.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Samir Kumar, Taewoo Ko, Yeonghun Chae, Yuyeon Jang, Inha Lee, Ahyeon Lee, Sanghoon Shin, Myung-Hyun Nam, Byung Soo Kim, Hyun Sik Jun, Sungkyu Seo
Summary: Smartphone-based point-of-care testing is being adopted as an alternative to traditional screening and laboratory testing, especially in resource-limited settings. This study presents a smartphone- and cloud-based artificial intelligence system for rapid evaluation and quantification of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies using lateral flow assays. The system showed accurate results and consistency under different lighting conditions and camera angles. It also correlated well with the results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.