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Zhang Y, Sun S, Du C, Hu K, Zhang C, Liu M, Wu Q, Dong N. Transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2 implicated in SARS-CoV-2 infection is autoactivated intracellularly and requires N-glycosylation for regulation. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102643. [PMID: 36309092 PMCID: PMC9598255 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is a membrane-bound protease expressed in many human epithelial tissues, including the airway and lung. TMPRSS2-mediated cleavage of viral spike protein is a key mechanism in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 activation and host cell entry. To date, the cellular mechanisms that regulate TMPRSS2 activity and cell surface expression are not fully characterized. In this study, we examined two major post-translational events, zymogen activation and N-glycosylation, in human TMPRSS2. In experiments with human embryonic kidney 293, bronchial epithelial 16HBE, and lung alveolar epithelial A549 cells, we found that TMPRSS2 was activated via intracellular autocatalysis and that this process was blocked in the presence of hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitors 1 and 2. By glycosidase digestion and site-directed mutagenesis, we showed that human TMPRSS2 was N-glycosylated. N-glycosylation at an evolutionarily conserved site in the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain was required for calnexin-assisted protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum and subsequent intracellular trafficking, zymogen activation, and cell surface expression. Moreover, we showed that TMPRSS2 cleaved severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein intracellularly in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. These results provide new insights into the cellular mechanism in regulating TMPRSS2 biosynthesis and function. Our findings should help to understand the role of TMPRSS2 in major respiratory viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yikai Zhang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shijin Sun
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chunyu Du
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China,NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kaixuan Hu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China,NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ce Zhang
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Meng Liu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qingyu Wu
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China,For correspondence: Qingyu Wu; Ningzheng Dong
| | - Ningzheng Dong
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Prevention, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China,NHC Key Laboratory of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China,For correspondence: Qingyu Wu; Ningzheng Dong
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2
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Kastenhuber ER, Mercadante M, Nilsson-Payant B, Johnson JL, Jaimes JA, Muecksch F, Weisblum Y, Bram Y, Whittaker GR, tenOever BR, Schwartz RE, Chandar V, Cantley L. Coagulation factors directly cleave SARS-CoV-2 spike and enhance viral entry. eLife 2022; 11:77444. [PMID: 35294338 PMCID: PMC8942469 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coagulopathy is a significant aspect of morbidity in COVID-19 patients. The clotting cascade is propagated by a series of proteases, including factor Xa and thrombin. While certain host proteases, including TMPRSS2 and furin, are known to be important for cleavage activation of SARS-CoV-2 spike to promote viral entry in the respiratory tract, other proteases may also contribute. Using biochemical and cell-based assays, we demonstrate that factor Xa and thrombin can also directly cleave SARS-CoV-2 spike, enhancing infection at the stage of viral entry. Coagulation factors increased SARS-CoV-2 infection in human lung organoids. A drug-repurposing screen identified a subset of protease inhibitors that promiscuously inhibited spike cleavage by both transmembrane serine proteases and coagulation factors. The mechanism of the protease inhibitors nafamostat and camostat may extend beyond inhibition of TMPRSS2 to coagulation-induced spike cleavage. Anticoagulation is critical in the management of COVID-19, and early intervention could provide collateral benefit by suppressing SARS-CoV-2 viral entry. We propose a model of positive feedback whereby infection-induced hypercoagulation exacerbates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marisa Mercadante
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States
| | - Benjamin Nilsson-Payant
- Institute of Experimental Virology, TWINCORE Zentrum für Experimentelle und Klinische Infektionsforschung GmbH, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jared L Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States
| | - Javier A Jaimes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Frauke Muecksch
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States
| | - Yiska Weisblum
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States
| | - Yaron Bram
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Gary R Whittaker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Benjamin R tenOever
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Robert E Schwartz
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Vasuretha Chandar
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Lewis Cantley
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States
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3
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Wettstein L, Kirchhoff F, Münch J. The Transmembrane Protease TMPRSS2 as a Therapeutic Target for COVID-19 Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031351. [PMID: 35163273 PMCID: PMC8836196 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
TMPRSS2 is a type II transmembrane protease with broad expression in epithelial cells of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, the prostate, and other organs. Although the physiological role of TMPRSS2 remains largely elusive, several endogenous substrates have been identified. TMPRSS2 serves as a major cofactor in SARS-CoV-2 entry, and primes glycoproteins of other respiratory viruses as well. Consequently, inhibiting TMPRSS2 activity is a promising strategy to block viral infection. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of TMPRSS2 in the entry processes of different respiratory viruses. We then review the different classes of TMPRSS2 inhibitors and their clinical development, with a focus on COVID-19 treatment.
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4
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Bestle D, Limburg H, Kruhl D, Harbig A, Stein DA, Moulton H, Matrosovich M, Abdelwhab EM, Stech J, Böttcher-Friebertshäuser E. Hemagglutinins of avian influenza viruses are proteolytically activated by TMPRSS2 in human and murine airway cells. J Virol 2021;:JVI0090621. [PMID: 34319155 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00906-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cleavage of the influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is indispensable for virus replication. Most IAVs possess a monobasic HA cleavage site cleaved by trypsin-like proteases. Previously, the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 was shown to be essential for proteolytic activation of IAV HA subtypes H1, H2, H7 and H10 in mice. In contrast, additional proteases are involved in activation of certain H3 IAVs, indicating that HAs with monobasic cleavage site can differ in their sensitivity to host proteases. Here, we investigated the role of TMPRSS2 in proteolytic activation of avian HA subtypes H1 to H11 and H14 to H16 in human and mouse airway cell cultures. Using reassortant viruses carrying representative HAs, we analysed HA cleavage and multicycle replication in (i) lung cells of TMPRSS2-deficient mice and (ii) Calu-3 cells and primary human bronchial cells subjected to morpholino oligomer-mediated knockdown of TMPRSS2 activity. TMPRSS2 was found to be crucial for activation of H1 to H11, H14 and H15 in airway cells of human and mouse. Only H9 with an R-S-S-R cleavage site and H16 were proteolytically activated in the absence of TMPRSS2 activity, albeit with reduced efficiency. Moreover, a TMPRSS2-orthologous protease from duck supported activation of H1 to H11, H15 and H16 in MDCK cells. Together, our data demonstrate that in human and murine respiratory cells, TMPRSS2 is the major activating protease of almost all IAV HA subtypes with monobasic cleavage site. Furthermore, our results suggest that TMPRSS2 supports activation of IAV with monobasic cleavage site in ducks. Importance Human infections with avian influenza A viruses upon exposure to infected birds are frequently reported and have received attention as a potential pandemic threat. Cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is a prerequisite for membrane fusion and essential for virus infectivity. In this study, we identify the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 as the major activating protease of avian influenza virus HAs of subtypes H1 to H11, H14 and H15 in human and murine airway cells. Our data demonstrate that inhibition of TMPRSS2 activity may provide a useful approach for the treatment of human infections with avian influenza viruses that should be considered for pandemic preparedness as well. Additionally, we show that a TMPRSS2-orthologous protease from duck can activate avian influenza virus HAs with a monobasic cleavage site and thus represents a potential virus-activating protease in waterfowl, the primary reservoir for influenza A viruses.
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Ramirez Alvarez C, Kee C, Sharma AK, Thomas L, Schmidt FI, Stanifer ML, Boulant S, Herrmann C. The endogenous cellular protease inhibitor SPINT2 controls SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and is associated to disease severity. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009687. [PMID: 34181691 PMCID: PMC8270430 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 outbreak is the biggest threat to human health in recent history. Currently, there are over 1.5 million related deaths and 75 million people infected around the world (as of 22/12/2020). The identification of virulence factors which determine disease susceptibility and severity in different cell types remains an essential challenge. The serine protease TMPRSS2 has been shown to be important for S protein priming and viral entry, however, little is known about its regulation. SPINT2 is a member of the family of Kunitz type serine protease inhibitors and has been shown to inhibit TMPRSS2. Here, we explored the existence of a co-regulation between SPINT2/TMPRSS2 and found a tightly regulated protease/inhibitor expression balance across tissues. We found that SPINT2 negatively correlates with SARS-CoV-2 expression in Calu-3 and Caco-2 cell lines and was down-regulated in secretory cells from COVID-19 patients. We validated our findings using Calu-3 cell lines and observed a strong increase in viral load after SPINT2 knockdown, while overexpression lead to a drastic reduction of the viral load. Additionally, we evaluated the expression of SPINT2 in datasets from comorbid diseases using bulk and scRNA-seq data. We observed its down-regulation in colon, kidney and liver tumors as well as in alpha pancreatic islets cells from diabetes Type 2 patients, which could have implications for the observed comorbidities in COVID-19 patients suffering from chronic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carmon Kee
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Research Group “Cellular Polarity and Viral Infection”, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ashwini Kumar Sharma
- Health Data Science Unit, Medical Faculty Heidelberg and BioQuant, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Leonie Thomas
- Health Data Science Unit, Medical Faculty Heidelberg and BioQuant, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Florian I. Schmidt
- Institute of Innate Immunity, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Megan L. Stanifer
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Steeve Boulant
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Research Group “Cellular Polarity and Viral Infection”, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carl Herrmann
- Health Data Science Unit, Medical Faculty Heidelberg and BioQuant, Heidelberg, Germany
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6
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Kastenhuber ER, Jaimes JA, Johnson JL, Mercadante M, Muecksch F, Weisblum Y, Bram Y, Schwartz RE, Whittaker GR, Cantley LC. Coagulation factors directly cleave SARS-CoV-2 spike and enhance viral entry. bioRxiv 2021. [PMID: 33821268 DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.31.437960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Coagulopathy is recognized as a significant aspect of morbidity in COVID-19 patients. The clotting cascade is propagated by a series of proteases, including factor Xa and thrombin. Other host proteases, including TMPRSS2, are recognized to be important for cleavage activation of SARS-CoV-2 spike to promote viral entry. Using biochemical and cell-based assays, we demonstrate that factor Xa and thrombin can also directly cleave SARS-CoV-2 spike, enhancing viral entry. A drug-repurposing screen identified a subset of protease inhibitors that promiscuously inhibited spike cleavage by both transmembrane serine proteases as well as coagulation factors. The mechanism of the protease inhibitors nafamostat and camostat extend beyond inhibition of TMPRSS2 to coagulation-induced spike cleavage. Anticoagulation is critical in the management of COVID-19, and early intervention could provide collateral benefit by suppressing SARS-CoV-2 viral entry. We propose a model of positive feedback whereby infection-induced hypercoagulation exacerbates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity.
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7
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Collin J, Queen R, Zerti D, Dorgau B, Georgiou M, Djidrovski I, Hussain R, Coxhead JM, Joseph A, Rooney P, Lisgo S, Figueiredo F, Armstrong L, Lako M. Co-expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes in the superficial adult human conjunctival, limbal and corneal epithelium suggests an additional route of entry via the ocular surface. Ocul Surf 2021; 19:190-200. [PMID: 32502616 PMCID: PMC7267807 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2020.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The high infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 necessitates the need for multiple studies identifying the molecular mechanisms that facilitate the viral entry and propagation. Currently the potential extra-respiratory transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. METHODS Using single-cell RNA Seq and ATAC-Seq datasets and immunohistochemical analysis, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 tropism in the embryonic, fetal and adult human ocular surface. RESULTS The co-expression of ACE2 receptor and entry protease TMPRSS2 was detected in the human adult conjunctival, limbal and corneal epithelium, but not in the embryonic and fetal ocular surface up to 21 post conception weeks. These expression patterns were corroborated by the single cell ATAC-Seq data, which revealed a permissive chromatin in ACE2 and TMPRSS2 loci in the adult conjunctival, limbal and corneal epithelium. Co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 was strongly detected in the superficial limbal, corneal and conjunctival epithelium, implicating these as target entry cells for SARS-CoV-2 in the ocular surface. Strikingly, we also identified the key pro-inflammatory signals TNF, NFKβ and IFNG as upstream regulators of the transcriptional profile of ACE2+TMPRSS2+ cells in the superficial conjunctival epithelium, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 may utilise inflammatory driven upregulation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression to enhance infection in ocular surface. CONCLUSIONS Together our data indicate that the human ocular surface epithelium provides an additional entry portal for SARS-CoV-2, which may exploit inflammatory driven upregulation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 entry factors to enhance infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Collin
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Rachel Queen
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Darin Zerti
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK; Microscopy Centre and Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Birthe Dorgau
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Maria Georgiou
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Ivo Djidrovski
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Rafiqul Hussain
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Jonathan M Coxhead
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Agatha Joseph
- NHS Blood and Transplant Tissue and Eye Services, Liverpool, UK
| | - Paul Rooney
- NHS Blood and Transplant Tissue and Eye Services, Liverpool, UK
| | - Steven Lisgo
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Francisco Figueiredo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Lyle Armstrong
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Majlinda Lako
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK.
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8
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Fuentes-Prior P. Priming of SARS-CoV-2 S protein by several membrane-bound serine proteinases could explain enhanced viral infectivity and systemic COVID-19 infection. J Biol Chem 2020; 296:100135. [PMID: 33268377 PMCID: PMC7834812 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.015980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has already caused over a million deaths worldwide, and this death toll will be much higher before effective treatments and vaccines are available. The causative agent of the disease, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, shows important similarities with the previously emerged SARS-CoV-1, but also striking differences. First, SARS-CoV-2 possesses a significantly higher transmission rate and infectivity than SARS-CoV-1 and has infected in a few months over 60 million people. Moreover, COVID-19 has a systemic character, as in addition to the lungs, it also affects the heart, liver, and kidneys among other organs of the patients and causes frequent thrombotic and neurological complications. In fact, the term "viral sepsis" has been recently coined to describe the clinical observations. Here I review current structure-function information on the viral spike proteins and the membrane fusion process to provide plausible explanations for these observations. I hypothesize that several membrane-associated serine proteinases (MASPs), in synergy with or in place of TMPRSS2, contribute to activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Relative concentrations of the attachment receptor, ACE2, MASPs, their endogenous inhibitors (the Kunitz-type transmembrane inhibitors, HAI-1/SPINT1 and HAI-2/SPINT2, as well as major circulating serpins) would determine the infection rate of host cells. The exclusive or predominant expression of major MASPs in specific human organs suggests a direct role of these proteinases in e.g., heart infection and myocardial injury, liver dysfunction, kidney damage, as well as neurological complications. Thorough consideration of these factors could have a positive impact on the control of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fuentes-Prior
- Molecular Bases of Disease, Biomedical Research Institute (IIB) Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
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Vastrad B, Vastrad C, Tengli A. Bioinformatics analyses of significant genes, related pathways, and candidate diagnostic biomarkers and molecular targets in SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Gene Rep 2020; 21:100956. [PMID: 33553808 DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2020.100956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a leading cause of pneumonia and death. The aim of this investigation is to identify the key genes in SARS-CoV-2 infection and uncover their potential functions. We downloaded the expression profiling by high throughput sequencing of GSE152075 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Normalization of the data from primary SARS-CoV-2 infected samples and negative control samples in the database was conducted using R software. Then, joint analysis of the data was performed. Pathway and Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses were performed, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, target gene - miRNA regulatory network, target gene - TF regulatory network of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were constructed using Cytoscape software. Identification of diagnostic biomarkers was conducted using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. 994 DEGs (496 up regulated and 498 down regulated genes) were identified. Pathway and GO enrichment analysis showed up and down regulated genes mainly enriched in the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, Ribosome, response to external biotic stimulus and viral transcription in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Down and up regulated genes were selected to establish the PPI network, modules, target gene - miRNA regulatory network, target gene - TF regulatory network revealed that these genes were involved in adaptive immune system, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, influenza A and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. In total, ten genes (CBL, ISG15, NEDD4, PML, REL, CTNNB1, ERBB2, JUN, RPS8 and STUB1) were identified as good diagnostic biomarkers. In conclusion, the identified DEGs, hub genes and target genes contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the advancement of SARS-CoV-2 infection and they may be used as diagnostic and molecular targets for the treatment of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the future.
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Key Words
- Bioinformatics
- CBL, Cbl proto-oncogene
- DEGs, differentially expressed genes
- Diagnosis
- GO, Gene ontology
- ISG15, ISG15 ubiquitin like modifier
- Key genes
- NEDD4, NEDD4 E3 ubiquitin protein ligase
- PML, promyelocyticleukemia
- PPI, protein-protein interaction
- Pathways
- REL, REL proto-oncogene, NF-kB subunit
- ROC, receiver operating characteristic
- SARS-CoV-2 infection
- SARS-CoV-2, Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2
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10
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Bojkova D, Bechtel M, McLaughlin KM, McGreig JE, Klann K, Bellinghausen C, Rohde G, Jonigk D, Braubach P, Ciesek S, Münch C, Wass MN, Michaelis M, Cinatl J. Aprotinin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication. Cells 2020; 9:E2377. [PMID: 33143316 PMCID: PMC7692688 DOI: 10.3390/cells9112377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the current coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Protease inhibitors are under consideration as virus entry inhibitors that prevent the cleavage of the coronavirus spike (S) protein by cellular proteases. Herein, we showed that the protease inhibitor aprotinin (but not the protease inhibitor SERPINA1/alpha-1 antitrypsin) inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in therapeutically achievable concentrations. An analysis of proteomics and translatome data indicated that SARS-CoV-2 replication is associated with a downregulation of host cell protease inhibitors. Hence, aprotinin may compensate for downregulated host cell proteases during later virus replication cycles. Aprotinin displayed anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in different cell types (Caco2, Calu-3, and primary bronchial epithelial cell air-liquid interface cultures) and against four virus isolates. In conclusion, therapeutic aprotinin concentrations exert anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. An approved aprotinin aerosol may have potential for the early local control of SARS-CoV-2 replication and the prevention of COVID-19 progression to a severe, systemic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denisa Bojkova
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (D.B.); (M.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Marco Bechtel
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (D.B.); (M.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Katie-May McLaughlin
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (K.-M.M.); (J.E.M.)
| | - Jake E. McGreig
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (K.-M.M.); (J.E.M.)
| | - Kevin Klann
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (K.K.); (C.M.)
| | - Carla Bellinghausen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (C.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Gernot Rohde
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (C.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Danny Jonigk
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), 30625 Hannover, Germany; (D.J.); (P.B.)
- Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), The German Center for Lung Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung, DZL), Hannover Medical School (MHH), 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Peter Braubach
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), 30625 Hannover, Germany; (D.J.); (P.B.)
- Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), The German Center for Lung Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung, DZL), Hannover Medical School (MHH), 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Sandra Ciesek
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (D.B.); (M.B.); (S.C.)
- German Center for Infection Research, DZIF, External Partner Site, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Branch Translational Medicine und Pharmacology, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christian Münch
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (K.K.); (C.M.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mark N. Wass
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (K.-M.M.); (J.E.M.)
| | - Martin Michaelis
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (K.-M.M.); (J.E.M.)
| | - Jindrich Cinatl
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (D.B.); (M.B.); (S.C.)
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11
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Abstract
An acute respiratory disorder (COVID-19) that accelerated across the globe has been found to be caused by a novel strain of coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2). The absence of a specific antiviral drug or vaccination has promoted the development of immediate therapeutic responses against SARS-CoV-2. As increased levels of plasma chemokines and, cytokines and an uncontrolled influx of inflammatory cells were observed in lethal cases, it was concluded that the severity of the infection corresponded with the imbalanced host immunity against the virus. Tracing back the knowledge acquired from SERS and MERS infections, clinical evidence suggested similar host immune reactions and host ACE2 receptor-derived invasion by SARS-CoV-2. Further studies revealed the integral role of proteases (TMPRSS2, cathepsins, plasmin, etc.) in viral entry and the immune system. This review aims to provide a brief review on the latest research progress in identifying the potential role of proteases in SARS-CoV-2 viral spread and infection and combines it with already known information on the role of different proteases in providing an immune response. It further proposes a multidisciplinary clinical approach to target proteases specifically, through a combinatorial administration of protease inhibitors. This predictive review may help in providing a perspective to gain deeper insights of the proteolytic web involved in SARS-CoV-2 viral invasion and host immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanchit Seth
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Srilakshmi Srinivasan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Straus MR, Tang T, Lai AL, Flegel A, Bidon M, Freed JH, Daniel S, Whittaker GR. Ca 2+ Ions Promote Fusion of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus with Host Cells and Increase Infectivity. J Virol 2020. [PMID: 32295925 DOI: 10.1101/2019.12.18.881391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusion with, and subsequent entry into, the host cell is one of the critical steps in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. For Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the spike (S) protein is the main determinant of viral entry. Proteolytic cleavage of the S protein exposes its fusion peptide (FP), which initiates the process of membrane fusion. Previous studies on the related severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) FP have shown that calcium ions (Ca2+) play an important role in fusogenic activity via a Ca2+ binding pocket with conserved glutamic acid (E) and aspartic acid (D) residues. SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV FPs share a high sequence homology, and here, we investigated whether Ca2+ is required for MERS-CoV fusion by screening a mutant array in which E and D residues in the MERS-CoV FP were substituted with neutrally charged alanines (A). Upon verifying mutant cell surface expression and proteolytic cleavage, we tested their ability to mediate pseudoparticle (PP) infection of host cells in modulating Ca2+ environments. Our results demonstrate that intracellular Ca2+ enhances MERS-CoV wild-type (WT) PP infection by approximately 2-fold and that E891 is a crucial residue for Ca2+ interaction. Subsequent electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments revealed that this enhancement could be attributed to Ca2+ increasing MERS-CoV FP fusion-relevant membrane ordering. Intriguingly, isothermal calorimetry showed an approximate 1:1 MERS-CoV FP to Ca2+ ratio, as opposed to an 1:2 SARS-CoV FP to Ca2+ ratio, suggesting significant differences in FP Ca2+ interactions of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV FP despite their high sequence similarity.IMPORTANCE Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a major emerging infectious disease with zoonotic potential and has reservoirs in dromedary camels and bats. Since its first outbreak in 2012, the virus has repeatedly transmitted from camels to humans, with 2,468 confirmed cases causing 851 deaths. To date, there are no efficacious drugs and vaccines against MERS-CoV, increasing its potential to cause a public health emergency. In order to develop novel drugs and vaccines, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms that enable the virus to infect host cells. Our data have found that calcium is an important regulator of viral fusion by interacting with negatively charged residues in the MERS-CoV FP region. This information can guide therapeutic solutions to block this calcium interaction and also repurpose already approved drugs for this use for a fast response to MERS-CoV outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco R Straus
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Tiffany Tang
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Alex L Lai
- ACERT, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Annkatrin Flegel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miya Bidon
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Jack H Freed
- ACERT, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Susan Daniel
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Gary R Whittaker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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13
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Straus MR, Tang T, Lai AL, Flegel A, Bidon M, Freed JH, Daniel S, Whittaker GR. Ca 2+ Ions Promote Fusion of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus with Host Cells and Increase Infectivity. J Virol 2020; 94:e00426-20. [PMID: 32295925 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00426-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion with, and subsequent entry into, the host cell is one of the critical steps in the life cycle of enveloped viruses. For Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the spike (S) protein is the main determinant of viral entry. Proteolytic cleavage of the S protein exposes its fusion peptide (FP), which initiates the process of membrane fusion. Previous studies on the related severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) FP have shown that calcium ions (Ca2+) play an important role in fusogenic activity via a Ca2+ binding pocket with conserved glutamic acid (E) and aspartic acid (D) residues. SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV FPs share a high sequence homology, and here, we investigated whether Ca2+ is required for MERS-CoV fusion by screening a mutant array in which E and D residues in the MERS-CoV FP were substituted with neutrally charged alanines (A). Upon verifying mutant cell surface expression and proteolytic cleavage, we tested their ability to mediate pseudoparticle (PP) infection of host cells in modulating Ca2+ environments. Our results demonstrate that intracellular Ca2+ enhances MERS-CoV wild-type (WT) PP infection by approximately 2-fold and that E891 is a crucial residue for Ca2+ interaction. Subsequent electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments revealed that this enhancement could be attributed to Ca2+ increasing MERS-CoV FP fusion-relevant membrane ordering. Intriguingly, isothermal calorimetry showed an approximate 1:1 MERS-CoV FP to Ca2+ ratio, as opposed to an 1:2 SARS-CoV FP to Ca2+ ratio, suggesting significant differences in FP Ca2+ interactions of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV FP despite their high sequence similarity.IMPORTANCE Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a major emerging infectious disease with zoonotic potential and has reservoirs in dromedary camels and bats. Since its first outbreak in 2012, the virus has repeatedly transmitted from camels to humans, with 2,468 confirmed cases causing 851 deaths. To date, there are no efficacious drugs and vaccines against MERS-CoV, increasing its potential to cause a public health emergency. In order to develop novel drugs and vaccines, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms that enable the virus to infect host cells. Our data have found that calcium is an important regulator of viral fusion by interacting with negatively charged residues in the MERS-CoV FP region. This information can guide therapeutic solutions to block this calcium interaction and also repurpose already approved drugs for this use for a fast response to MERS-CoV outbreaks.
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Szabo R, Bugge TH. Membrane-anchored serine proteases as regulators of epithelial function. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:517-28. [PMID: 32196551 DOI: 10.1042/BST20190675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cleavage of proteins in the extracellular milieu, including hormones, growth factors and their receptors, ion channels, and various cell adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules, plays a key role in the regulation of cell behavior. Among more than 500 proteolytic enzymes encoded by mammalian genomes, membrane-anchored serine proteases (MASPs), which are expressed on the surface of epithelial cells of all major organs, are excellently suited to mediate signal transduction across the epithelia and are increasingly being recognized as important regulators of epithelial development, function, and disease [ 1-3]. In this minireview, we summarize current knowledge of the in vivo roles of MASPs in acquisition and maintenance of some of the defining functions of epithelial tissues, such as barrier formation, ion transport, and sensory perception.
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