Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Peng Gao, Miao Xu, Qi Zhang, Catherine Z. Chen, Hui Guo, Yihong Ye, Wei Zheng, Min Shen
Summary: This study developed a GCN-based virtual screening workflow that can rapidly identify new small molecule inhibitors against validated drug targets by training the model using information from experimentally identified HSPG and actin inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Ashok K. Shetty, Padmashri A. Shetty, Gabriele Zanirati, Kunlin Jin
Summary: Recent trials have shown that infusions of human umbilical cord-derived MSCs can reduce cytokine storm and lung damage in COVID-19 patients with ARDS. Further phase II/III trials are needed to confirm this efficacy and evaluate the potential of MSCs in preventing long-term COVID effects.
NPJ REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kui K. Chan, Timothy J. C. Tan, Krishna K. Narayanan, Erik Procko
Summary: The study suggests that engineered decoy receptors can tightly bind to the S protein of SARS-related viruses, and are expected to be effective against future coronavirus outbreaks.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhiqiang Ku, Xuping Xie, Edgar Davidson, Xiaohua Ye, Hang Su, Vineet D. Menachery, Yize Li, Zihao Yuan, Xianwen Zhang, Antonio E. Muruato, Ariadna Grinyo i Escuer, Breanna Tyrell, Kyle Doolan, Benjamin J. Doranz, Daniel Wrapp, Paul F. Bates, Jason S. McLellan, Susan R. Weiss, Ningyan Zhang, Pei-Yong Shi, Zhiqiang An
Summary: Antibody cocktails are a promising approach to prevent SARS-CoV-2 escape, with a combination of antibodies CoV2-06 and CoV2-14 identified as effective in preventing viral escape and providing protection in mice, offering new insights for treating COVID-19.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yang Li, Zhaowei Xu, Qing Lei, Dan-yun Lai, Hongyan Hou, He-wei Jiang, Yun-xiao Zheng, Xue-ning Wang, Jiaoxiang Wu, Ming-liang Ma, Bo Zhang, Hong Chen, Caizheng Yu, Jun-biao Xue, Hai-nan Zhang, Huan Qi, Shu-juan Guo, Yandi Zhang, Xiaosong Lin, Zongjie Yao, Huiming Sheng, Ziyong Sun, Feng Wang, Xionglin Fan, Sheng-ce Tao
Summary: This study found that non-structural/accessory proteins of SARS-CoV-2 elicit prevalent IgG responses, which are associated with disease severity and clinical outcome, declining sharply about 20 days after symptom onset. Global antibody responses to these proteins may facilitate a deeper understanding of SARS-CoV-2 immunology.
Article
Cell Biology
Markus Hoffmann, Lu Zhang, Nadine Krueger, Luise Graichen, Hannah Kleine-Weber, Heike Hofmann-Winkler, Amy Kempf, Stefan Nessler, Joachim Riggert, Martin Sebastian Winkler, Sebastian Schulz, Hans-Martin Jaeck, Stefan Poehlmann
Summary: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to farmed mink and back raises concerns of genetic variants with potential increased threat to human health. Mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 from mink allow efficient entry into human cells and inhibition by ACE2, while mutation Y453F reduces neutralization by certain antibodies authorized for COVID-19 therapy. Antibody responses induced by infection or specific treatments might not offer adequate protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants from mink.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vincent Chi-Hang Lui, Kenrie Pui-Yan Hui, Rosanna Ottakandathil Babu, Haibing Yue, Patrick Ho-Yu Chung, Paul Kwong-Hang Tam, Michael Chi-Wai Chan, Kenneth Kak-Yuen Wong
Summary: This study found that intra-hepatic bile duct cells are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and support efficient viral replication. The replication level of SARS-CoV-2 is much higher than that of SARS-CoV. These findings suggest that direct cytopathic viral damage is a mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 liver injury.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samuel Bru, Pedro Brotons, Iolanda Jordan, Laia Alsina, Desiree Henares, Reyes Carballar, Mariona Fernandez de Sevilla, Irene Barrabeig, Victoria Fumado, Barbara Baro, Joan Marc Martinez-Lainez, Juan J. Garcia-Garcia, Quique Bassat, Albert Balaguer, Josep Clotet, Cristian Launes, Carmen Munoz-Almagro
Summary: This study investigated the association between saliva soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (sACE2) and SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adults. The results showed that children negative for nasal swab RT-PCR had a higher concentration of saliva sACE2 compared to RT-PCR-positive children and convalescent adults. It suggests that the release of sufficient levels of sACE2 in saliva may play a protective role against SARS-CoV-2.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Devika Singh, Soojin Yi
Summary: The genome evolution of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has played a crucial role in the development of COVID-19, with evidence of ancestral recombination events and natural selection. The spike protein of the virus shows significant signs of evolutionary processes, facilitating its spillover from other animals to humans. The global spread of SARS-CoV-2 has increased mutational variability in its genome, potentially leading to future recombination events.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer, Daniel Wittschieber, Juliane Sanft, Sandra Kleemann, Stefan Elschner, Karoline Frieda Haupt, Vanessa Vau, Clio Haering, Jurgen Roedel, Andreas Henke, Christina Ehrhardt, Michael Bauer, Mike Philipp, Nikolaus Gassler, Sandor Nietzsche, Bettina Loeffler, Gita Mall
Summary: COVID-19 is a systemic disease, and viral RNA distribution was found in both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissues and organs, with high viral loads in the lungs. This supports the hypothesis of maladaptive host response with viremia and multiorgan dysfunction.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Claudia Pommerenke, Ulfert Rand, Cord C. Uphoff, Stefan Nagel, Margarete Zaborski, Vivien Hauer, Maren Kaufmann, Corinna Meyer, Sabine A. Denkmann, Peggy Riese, Kathrin Eschke, Yeonsu Kim, Zeljka Macak Safranko, Ivan-Christian Kurolt, Alemka Markotic, Luka Cicin-Sain, Laura Steenpass
Summary: This study aims to identify suitable cancer cell lines for drug screening and virus research by screening ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes in cancer cell lines; however, limited correlation between receptor expression and cell permissiveness was found in experimental results; in terms of viral infection, cell permissiveness is not only influenced by the presence of entry receptors but also by factors such as cellular resources, intrinsic immunity, and apoptosis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heitor Evangelista, Cesar Amaral, Luis Cristovao Porto, Sergio J. Goncalves Junior, Eduardo Delfino Sodre, Juliana Nogueira, Angela M. G. dos Santos, Marcio Cataldo, Daniel Junger
Summary: The modified lung deposition model by ICRP was used to study the deposition and retention of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in the respiratory tract, revealing high virus retention in the extrathoracic region and lower fraction in the alveolar section. This provides insights into the pathophysiology of clinical events and the minimal inoculum needed for infection.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Tong Wu, Seyed A. Rabi, William A. Michaud, David Becerra, Sarah E. Gilpin, Mari Mino-Kenudson, Harald C. Ott
Summary: This study used induced pluripotent stem cell-derived alveolar epithelial cells to repopulate rat lung scaffolds, creating a mature model of human distal lung epithelium. The researchers found that this model allowed real-time observation of viral infection using a pseudotyped lentivirus containing SARS-CoV-2, and discovered that the protease inhibitor Camostat Mesylate could significantly reduce viral transfection.
Article
Microbiology
Raymond Rowland, Alberto Brandariz-Nunez
Summary: The study highlights the importance of N-glycosylation for proper cell surface expression of ACE2, with no effect on its carboxiprotease activity. The binding of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2 was not affected by deglycosylation. N-glycosylation was found to reduce cell-to-cell fusion mediated by SARS-CoV but not SARS-CoV-2.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Rajeev Rudraraju, Matthew J. Gartner, Jessica A. Neil, Elizabeth S. Stout, Joseph Chen, Elise J. Needham, Michael See, Charley Mackenzie-Kludas, Leo Yi Yang Lee, Mingyang Wang, Hayley Pointer, Kathy Karavendzas, Dad Abu-Bonsrah, Damien Drew, Yu Bo Yang Sun, Jia Ping Tan, Guizhi Sun, Abbas Salavaty, Natalie Charitakis, Hieu T. Nim, Peter D. Currie, Wai-Hong Tham, Enzo Porrello, Jose M. Polo, Sean J. Humphrey, Mirana Ramialison, David A. Elliott, Kanta Subbarao
Summary: This study explores the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lung and heart. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 play crucial roles in the infection process, and the host responses differ significantly between lung and cardiac cells. The study also identifies potential antiviral compounds and highlights the importance of evaluating drug efficacy in relevant cell types.