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Si Y, Wu W, Xue X, Sun X, Qin Y, Li Y, Qiu C, Li Y, Zhuo Z, Mi Y, Zheng P. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15990. [PMID: 37701824 PMCID: PMC10493083 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Scientists have made great efforts to understand the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) to provide crucial information to public health experts on strategies to control this viral pathogen. The pandemic of the coronavirus disease that began in 2019, COVID-19, lasted nearly three years, and nearly all countries have set different epidemic prevention policies for this virus. The continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2 alters its pathogenicity and infectivity in human hosts, thus the policy and treatments have been continually adjusted. Based on our previous study on the dynamics of binding ability prediction between the COVID-19 spike protein and human ACE2, the present study mined over 10 million sequences and epidemiological data of SARS-CoV-2 during 2020-2022 to understand the evolutionary path of SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed and predicted the mutation rates of the whole genome and main proteins of SARS-CoV-2 from different populations to understand the adaptive relationship between humans and COVID-19. Our study identified a correlation of the mutation rates from each protein of SARS-CoV-2 and various human populations. Overall, this analysis provides a scientific basis for developing data-driven strategies to confront human pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfang Si
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Weidong Wu
- BGI College & Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xia Xue
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xiangdong Sun
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yaping Qin
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Ya Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chunjing Qiu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yingying Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Ziran Zhuo
- BGI College & Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yang Mi
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Pengyuan Zheng
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori & Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall Medical Research Cente, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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2
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Mahalingam G, Arjunan P, Periyasami Y, Dhyani AK, Devaraju N, Rajendiran V, Christopher AC, Kt RD, Dhanasingh I, Thangavel S, Murugesan M, Moorthy M, Srivastava A, Marepally S. Correlating the differences in the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants on their interactions with human ACE2 receptor. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8743. [PMID: 37253762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35070-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 variants plays a critical role in infection and transmission through its interaction with human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptors. Prior findings using molecular docking and biomolecular studies reported varied findings on the difference in the interactions among the spike variants with the hACE2 receptors. Hence, it is a prerequisite to understand these interactions in a more precise manner. To this end, firstly, we performed ELISA with trimeric spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants including Wuhan Hu-1(Wild), Delta, C.1.2 and Omicron. Further, to study the interactions in a more specific manner by mimicking the natural infection, we developed hACE2 receptors expressing HEK-293T cell line, evaluated their binding efficiencies and competitive binding of spike variants with D614G spike pseudotyped virus. In line with the existing findings, we observed that Omicron had higher binding efficiency compared to Delta in both ELISA and Cellular models. Intriguingly, we found that cellular models could differentiate the subtle differences between the closely related C.1.2 and Delta in their binding to hACE2 receptors. Our study using the cellular model provides a precise method to evaluate the binding interactions between spike sub-lineages to hACE2 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gokulnath Mahalingam
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Porkizhi Arjunan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Yogapriya Periyasami
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Ajay Kumar Dhyani
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Nivedita Devaraju
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Vignesh Rajendiran
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Abisha Crystal Christopher
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Ramya Devi Kt
- Department of Biotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Immanuel Dhanasingh
- Centre for Bio-Separation Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India
| | - Saravanabhavan Thangavel
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Mohankumar Murugesan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Mahesh Moorthy
- Department of Clinical Virology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Alok Srivastava
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India
| | - Srujan Marepally
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), CMC Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632002, India.
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3
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Triveri A, Casali E, Frasnetti E, Doria F, Frigerio F, Cinquini F, Pavoni S, Moroni E, Marchetti F, Serapian SA, Colombo G. Conformational Behavior of SARS-Cov-2 Spike Protein Variants: Evolutionary Jumps in Sequence Reverberate in Structural Dynamic Differences. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:2120-2134. [PMID: 36926878 PMCID: PMC10029694 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has evolved rapidly in the first 3 years of pandemic diffusion. The initial evolution of the virus appeared to proceed through big jumps in sequence changes rather than through the stepwise accumulation of point mutations on already established variants. Here, we examine whether this nonlinear mutational process reverberates in variations of the conformational dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein), the first point of contact between the virus and the human host. We run extensive microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations of seven distinct variants of the protein in their fully glycosylated state and set out to elucidate possible links between the mutational spectrum of the S-protein and the structural dynamics of the respective variant, at global and local levels. The results reveal that mutation-dependent structural and dynamic modulations mostly consist of increased coordinated motions in variants that acquire stability and in an increased internal flexibility in variants that are less stable. Importantly, a limited number of functionally important substructures (the receptor binding domain, in particular) share the same time of movements in all variants, indicating efficient preorganization for functional regions dedicated to host interactions. Our results support a model in which the internal dynamics of the S-proteins from different strains varies in a way that reflects the observed random and non-stepwise jumps in sequence evolution, while conserving the functionally oriented traits of conformational dynamics necessary to support productive interactions with host receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Triveri
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Emanuele Casali
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Elena Frasnetti
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Filippo Doria
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Francesco Frigerio
- Department of Physical Chemistry, R&D
Eni SpA, via Maritano 27, 20097 San Donato Milanese (Mi),
Italy
| | - Fabrizio Cinquini
- Upstream & Technical
Services—TECS/STES—Eni Spa, via Emilia 1, 20097 San Donato
Milanese (Mi), Italy
| | - Silvia Pavoni
- Department of Physical Chemistry, R&D
Eni SpA, via Maritano 27, 20097 San Donato Milanese (Mi),
Italy
| | | | - Filippo Marchetti
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Stefano A. Serapian
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
| | - Giorgio Colombo
- Dipartimento di Chimica,
Università di Pavia, via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia,
Italy
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4
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Dermatological Manifestations in COVID-19: A Case Study of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Genetic Thrombophilic Patient with Mthfr Mutation. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12030438. [PMID: 36986360 PMCID: PMC10058784 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12030438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The present case study describes the dermatological manifestations of COVID-19 in a patient with genetic thrombophilia (MTHFR–C677T mutation) and the identification of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest (VOI). A female patient, 47 years old, unvaccinated, with thrombophilia, was diagnosed with COVID-19. She presented with urticarial and maculopapular eruptions from the seventh day of symptoms, which progressed to multiple lesions with dark centers (D-dimer value > 1450 ng/mL). The dermatological manifestations disappeared after 30 days, corroborating the reduction in D-dimer levels. Viral genome sequencing revealed infection by the VOI Zeta (P.2). Antibody testing, performed 30 days after the onset of symptoms, detected only IgG. The virus neutralization test showed the highest neutralizing titer for a P.2 strain, validating the genotypic identification. Lesions were suggested to be due to infection in skin cells causing a direct cytopathic effect or release of pro-inflammatory cytokines triggering erythematous and urticarial eruptions. In addition, vascular complications are also proposed to be due to the MTHFR mutation and increased D-dimer values. This case report is an alert about COVID-19 in patients with pre-existing vascular diseases, especially in unvaccinated patients, by VOI.
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5
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Lessons Learnt from COVID-19: Computational Strategies for Facing Present and Future Pandemics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054401. [PMID: 36901832 PMCID: PMC10003049 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its outbreak in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of more than 6.5 million people around the world. The high transmissibility of its causative agent, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, coupled with its potentially lethal outcome, provoked a profound global economic and social crisis. The urgency of finding suitable pharmacological tools to tame the pandemic shed light on the ever-increasing importance of computer simulations in rationalizing and speeding up the design of new drugs, further stressing the need for developing quick and reliable methods to identify novel active molecules and characterize their mechanism of action. In the present work, we aim at providing the reader with a general overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the hallmarks in its management, from the initial attempts at drug repurposing to the commercialization of Paxlovid, the first orally available COVID-19 drug. Furthermore, we analyze and discuss the role of computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) techniques, especially those that fall in the structure-based drug design (SBDD) category, in facing present and future pandemics, by showcasing several successful examples of drug discovery campaigns where commonly used methods such as docking and molecular dynamics have been employed in the rational design of effective therapeutic entities against COVID-19.
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6
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Hassan SS, Kodakandla V, Redwan EM, Lundstrom K, Choudhury PP, Serrano-Aroca Á, Azad GK, Aljabali AAA, Palu G, Abd El-Aziz TM, Barh D, Uhal BD, Adadi P, Takayama K, Bazan NG, Tambuwala M, Sherchan SP, Lal A, Chauhan G, Baetas-da-Cruz W, Uversky VN. Non-uniform aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 intraspecies evolution reopen question of its origin. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:972-993. [PMID: 36174872 PMCID: PMC9511875 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.09.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Several hypotheses have been presented on the origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from its identification as the agent causing the current coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. So far, no solid evidence has been found to support any hypothesis on the origin of this virus, and the issue continue to resurface over and over again. Here we have unfolded a pattern of distribution of several mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 proteins in 24 geo-locations across different continents. The results showed an evenly uneven distribution of the unique protein variants, distinct mutations, unique frequency of common conserved residues, and mutational residues across these 24 geo-locations. Furthermore, ample mutations were identified in the evolutionarily conserved invariant regions in the SARS-CoV-2 proteins across almost all geo-locations studied. This pattern of mutations potentially breaches the law of evolutionary conserved functional units of the beta-coronavirus genus. These mutations may lead to several novel SARS-CoV-2 variants with a high degree of transmissibility and virulence. A thorough investigation on the origin and characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 needs to be conducted in the interest of science and for the preparation of meeting the challenges of potential future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sk Sarif Hassan
- Department of Mathematics, Pingla Thana Mahavidyalaya, Maligram, Paschim Medinipur, 721140, West Bengal, India.
| | - Vaishnavi Kodakandla
- Department of Life sciences, Sophia College For Women, University of Mumbai, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai 400026, India
| | - Elrashdy M Redwan
- Biological Science Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Therapeutic and Protective Proteins Laboratory, Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg EL-Arab 21934, Alexandria, Egypt.
| | | | - Pabitra Pal Choudhury
- Indian Statistical Institute, Applied Statistics Unit, 203 B T Road, Kolkata 700108, India
| | - Ángel Serrano-Aroca
- Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab, Centro de Investigacion Traslacional San Alberto Magno, Universidad Cat'olica de Valencia San Vicente Martir, c/Guillem de Castro, 94, 46001 Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
| | | | - Alaa A A Aljabali
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Yarmouk University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Irbid 566, Jordan.
| | - Giorgio Palu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Via Gabelli 63, 35121 Padova, Italy.
| | - Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia 61519, Egypt; Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.
| | - Debmalya Barh
- Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology (IIOAB), Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, WB, India; Departamento de Geńetica, Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Cíencias Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruce D Uhal
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Parise Adadi
- Department of Food Science, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Kazuo Takayama
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto 6068507, Japan.
| | - Nicolas G Bazan
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, LSU Health New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
| | - Murtaza Tambuwala
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Lincoln Medical School, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK.
| | - Amos Lal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Gaurav Chauhan
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
| | - Wagner Baetas-da-Cruz
- Translational Laboratory in Molecular Physiology, Centre for Experimental Surgery, College of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicineand USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia.
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7
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Advances in Next-Generation Coronavirus Vaccines in Response to Future Virus Evolution. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10122035. [PMID: 36560445 PMCID: PMC9785936 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10122035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread to more than 230 countries and territories worldwide since its outbreak in late 2019. In less than three years, infection by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in over 600 million cases of COVID-19 and over 6.4 million deaths. Vaccines have been developed with unimaginable speed, and 11 have already been approved by the World Health Organization and given Emergency Use Listing. The administration of several first-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has successfully decelerated the spread of COVID-19 but not stopped it completely. In the ongoing fight against viruses, genetic mutations frequently occur in the viral genome, resulting in a decrease in vaccine-induced antibody neutralization and widespread breakthrough infection. Facing the evolution and uncertainty of SARS-CoV-2 in the future, and the possibility of the spillover of other coronaviruses to humans, the need for vaccines with a broad spectrum of antiviral variants against multiple coronaviruses is recognized. It is imperative to develop a universal coronavirus or pan-coronavirus vaccine or drug to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as to prevent the next coronavirus pandemic. In this review, in addition to summarizing the protective effect of approved vaccines, we systematically summarize current work on the development of vaccines aimed at suppressing multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as well as multiple coronaviruses.
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8
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Zaccaria M, Genovese L, Dawson W, Cristiglio V, Nakajima T, Johnson W, Farzan M, Momeni B. Probing the mutational landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein via quantum mechanical modeling of crystallographic structures. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac180. [PMID: 36712320 PMCID: PMC9802038 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
We employ a recently developed complexity-reduction quantum mechanical (QM-CR) approach, based on complexity reduction of density functional theory calculations, to characterize the interactions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain (RBD) with ACE2 host receptors and antibodies. QM-CR operates via ab initio identification of individual amino acid residue's contributions to chemical binding and leads to the identification of the impact of point mutations. Here, we especially focus on the E484K mutation of the viral spike protein. We find that spike residue 484 hinders the spike's binding to the human ACE2 receptor (hACE2). In contrast, the same residue is beneficial in binding to the bat receptor Rhinolophus macrotis ACE2 (macACE2). In agreement with empirical evidence, QM-CR shows that the E484K mutation allows the spike to evade categories of neutralizing antibodies like C121 and C144. The simulation also shows how the Delta variant spike binds more strongly to hACE2 compared to the original Wuhan strain, and predicts that a E484K mutation can further improve its binding. Broad agreement between the QM-CR predictions and experimental evidence supports the notion that ab initio modeling has now reached the maturity required to handle large intermolecular interactions central to biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - William Dawson
- RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26, Minatojima-minamimi-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | | | - Takahito Nakajima
- RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26, Minatojima-minamimi-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Welkin Johnson
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Michael Farzan
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458,
USA
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9
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The Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2 as a Target for Phytochemicals against Coronavirus. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11141862. [PMID: 35890496 PMCID: PMC9319234 DOI: 10.3390/plants11141862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In late December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 emerged as an outbreak in Wuhan, China that later spread vastly around the world, evolving into a pandemic and one of the worst global health crises in modern history. The causative agent was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although several vaccines were authorized for emergency use, constantly emerging new viral mutants and limited treatment options for COVID-19 drastically highlighted the need for developing an efficient treatment for this disease. One of the most important viral components to target for this purpose is the main protease of the coronavirus (Mpro). This enzyme is an excellent target for a potential drug, as it is essential for viral replication and has no closely related homologues in humans, making its inhibitors unlikely to be toxic. Our review describes a variety of approaches that could be applied in search of potential inhibitors among plant-derived compounds, including virtual in silico screening (a data-driven approach), which could be structure-based or fragment-guided, the classical approach of high-throughput screening, and antiviral activity cell-based assays. We will focus on several classes of compounds reported to be potential inhibitors of Mpro, including phenols and polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids.
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10
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Ranasinghe D, Jayadas TTP, Jayathilaka D, Jeewandara C, Dissanayake O, Guruge D, Ariyaratne D, Gunasinghe D, Gomes L, Wijesinghe A, Wijayamuni R, Malavige GN. Comparison of different sequencing techniques for identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern with multiplex real-time PCR. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265220. [PMID: 35377884 PMCID: PMC8979425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As different SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge and with the continuous evolvement of sub lineages of the delta variant, it is crucial that all countries carry out sequencing of at least >1% of their infections, in order to detect emergence of variants with higher transmissibility and with ability to evade immunity. However, due to limited resources as many resource poor countries are unable to sequence adequate number of viruses, we compared to usefulness of a two-step commercially available multiplex real-time PCR assay to detect important single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the variants and compared the sensitivity, accuracy and cost effectiveness of the Illumina sequencing platform and the Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ (ONT) platform. 138/143 (96.5%) identified as the alpha and 36/39 (92.3%) samples identified as the delta variants due to the presence of lineage defining SNPs by the multiplex real time PCR, were assigned to the same lineage by either of the two sequencing platforms. 34/37 of the samples sequenced by ONT had <5% ambiguous bases, while 21/37 samples sequenced using Illumina generated <5%. However, the mean PHRED scores averaged at 32.35 by Illumina reads but 10.78 in ONT. This difference results in a base error probability of 1 in 10 by the ONT and 1 in 1000 for Illumina sequencing platform. Sub-consensus single nucleotide variations (SNV) are highly correlated between both platforms (R2 = 0.79) while indels appear to have a weaker correlation (R2 = 0.13). Although the ONT had a slightly higher error rate compared to the Illumina technology, it achieved higher coverage with a lower number or reads, generated less ambiguous bases and was significantly less expensive than Illumina sequencing technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diyanath Ranasinghe
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Deshni Jayathilaka
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Chandima Jeewandara
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Osanda Dissanayake
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Dinuka Ariyaratne
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Dumni Gunasinghe
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Laksiri Gomes
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Ayesha Wijesinghe
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Ruwan Wijayamuni
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige
- Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
- * E-mail:
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11
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Chen C, Feng Y, Chen Z, Xia Y, Zhao X, Wang J, Nie K, Niu P, Han J, Xu W. SARS-CoV-2 cold-chain transmission: Characteristics, risks and strategies. J Med Virol 2022; 94:3540-3547. [PMID: 35355277 PMCID: PMC9088485 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Low temperature and certain humidity are conducive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) for long‐time survival and long‐distance spread during logistics and trades. Contaminated cold‐chain or frozen products and outer packaging act as the carrier of SARS‐CoV‐2, that infects the high‐risk population who works in the ports, cold storage or seafood market. Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic worldwide, multiple localized outbreaks caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 contaminated imported cold‐chain products have been reported in China, which brought challenges to COVID‐19 prevention and control. Here, we review the evidences of SARS‐CoV‐2 cold‐chain transmission from six confirmed cold‐chain related COVID‐19 outbreaks in China, especially in terms of SARS‐CoV‐2 whole‐genome sequencing and virus isolation. In addition, we summarize the characteristics and mode of SARS‐CoV‐2 cold‐chain transmission from both six COVID‐19 outbreaks in China and the outbreaks suspected cold‐chain transmission in other countries. Finally, we analyze the underlying risks of SARS‐CoV‐2 cold‐chain transmission and propose the preventive countermeasures. SARS‐CoV‐2 contaminated cold‐chain products can infect high‐risk populations and subsequently cause community transmission Specific locations, such as seafood market stalls, can amplify outbreaks Cold‐chain fomites accelerate global spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 and cause “silent transmission” Rational sampling, comprehensive disinfection, protection of high‐risk groups and pollution classification are the main strategies
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Affiliation(s)
- Cao Chen
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yenan Feng
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Zhixiao Chen
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Xia
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Ji Wang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Nie
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Peihua Niu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Han
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenbo Xu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,National Health Commission Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, Beijing, China
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12
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Weinstein JB, Bates TA, Leier HC, McBride SK, Barklis E, Tafesse FG. A potent alpaca-derived nanobody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants. iScience 2022; 25:103960. [PMID: 35224467 PMCID: PMC8863326 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 engages with human ACE 2 to facilitate infection. Here, we describe an alpaca-derived heavy chain antibody fragment (VHH), saRBD-1, that disrupts this interaction by competitively binding to the spike protein receptor-binding domain. We further generated an engineered bivalent nanobody construct engineered by a flexible linker and a dimeric Fc conjugated nanobody construct. Both multivalent nanobodies blocked infection at picomolar concentrations and demonstrated no loss of potency against emerging variants of concern including Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Epsilon (B.1.427/429), and Delta (B.1.617.2). saRBD-1 tolerates elevated temperature, freeze-drying, and nebulization, making it an excellent candidate for further development into a therapeutic approach for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 variants effectively neutralized by saRBD-1 VHH with picomolar affinity saRBD-1 neutralization increases when expressed as a bivalent or Fc construct saRBD-1 binds SARS-CoV-2 RBD as a likely class 1 neutralizing antibody saRBD-1 retains binding, neutralization after heat and nebulization treatments
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules B Weinstein
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
| | - Timothy A Bates
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
| | - Hans C Leier
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
| | - Savannah K McBride
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
| | - Eric Barklis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
| | - Fikadu G Tafesse
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, USA
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13
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Akram F, Haq IU, Aqeel A, Ahmed Z, Shah FI, Nawaz A, Zafar J, Sattar R. Insights into the evolutionary and prophylactic analysis of SARS-CoV-2: A review. J Virol Methods 2022; 300:114375. [PMID: 34838536 PMCID: PMC8610842 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In late 2019, following the emergence of a β-originated SARS-CoV-2, phylogenetic and evolutionary approaches have been demonstrated to strengthen the diagnostic and prophylactic stratagem of COVID-19 at an unprecedented level. Despite its clinical prominence, the SARS-CoV-2 gene set remains largely irrefutable by impeding the dissection of COVID-19 biology. However, many pieces of molecular and serological evidence have predicted that SARS-CoV-2 related viruses carry their roots from bats and pangolins of South East Asia. Analysis of viral genome predicts that point mutations at a rate of 10-4 nucleotides per base in the receptor-binding domain allow the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 genomic variants at regular intervals. Research in the evolution of molecular pathways involved in emergence of pandemic is critical for the development of therapeutics and vaccines as well as the prevention of future zoonosis. By determining the phyletic lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic variants and those of the conserved regions in the accessory and spike proteins of all the SARS-related coronaviruses, a universal vaccine against all human coronaviruses could be formulated which would revolutionize the field of medicine. This review highlighted the current development and future prospects of antiviral drugs, inhibitors, mesenchymal stem cells, passive immunization, targeted immune therapy and CRISPR-Cas-based prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2. However, further investigations on Covid-19 pathogenesis is required for the successful fabrication of successful antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Akram
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
| | - Ikram Ul Haq
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Amna Aqeel
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Zeeshan Ahmed
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Fatima Iftikhar Shah
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ali Nawaz
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Javaria Zafar
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Rukhma Sattar
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
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14
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Abstract
The process of adaptation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to humans probably had started decades ago, when its ancestor diverged from the bat coronavirus. The adaptive process comprises strategies the virus uses to overcome the respiratory tract defense barriers and replicate and shed in the host cells. These strategies include the impairment of interferon production, hiding immunogenic motifs, avoiding viral RNA detection, manipulating cell autophagy, triggering host cell death, inducing lymphocyte exhaustion and depletion, and finally, mutation and escape from immunity. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 employs strategies to take advantage of host cell resources for its benefits, such as inhibiting the ubiquitin-proteasome system, hijacking mitochondria functions, and usage of enhancing antibodies. It may be anticipated that as the tradeoffs of adaptation progress, the virus destructive burden will gradually subside. Some evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 will become part of the human respiratory virome, as had occurred with other coronaviruses, and coevolve with its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Tosta
- Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Brasília, DF, Brasil
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15
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Fernández-Lázaro D, Garrosa M. Identification, Mechanism, and Treatment of Skin Lesions in COVID-19: A Review. Viruses 2021; 13:1916. [PMID: 34696346 PMCID: PMC8540564 DOI: 10.3390/v13101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multisystem disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that primarily causes respiratory symptoms. However, an increasing number of cutaneous manifestations associated with this disease have been reported. The aim of this study is to analyze the scientific literature on cutaneous manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 by means of a narrative literature review until June 2021. The search was conducted in the following electronic databases: Medline (PubMed), SciELO, and Cochrane Library Plus. The most common cutaneous manifestations in patients with COVID-19 are vesicular eruptions, petechial/purpuric rashes, acral lesions, liveoid lesions, urticarial rash, and maculopapular-erythematous rash. These manifestations may be the first presenting symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as is the case with acral lesions, vesicular eruptions, and urticaria. In relation to severity, the presence of liveoid lesions may be associated with a more severe course of the disease. Treatment used for dermatological lesions includes therapy with anticoagulants, corticosteroids, and antihistamines. Knowledge of the dermatologic manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 contributes to the diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients with skin lesions associated with respiratory symptoms or in asymptomatic patients. In addition, understanding the dermatologic lesions associated with COVID-19 could be useful to establish a personalized care plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Fernández-Lázaro
- Department of Cellular Biology, Histology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Valladolid, Campus of Soria, 42004 Soria, Spain
- Neurobiology Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain;
| | - Manuel Garrosa
- Neurobiology Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain;
- Area of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences of Castile and Leon (INCYL), University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain
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16
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Rey F. Structure-function relations of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and impact of mutations in the variants of concern. C R Biol 2021; 344:77-110. [PMID: 34213849 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This review covers the main features of the severe acquired respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein, its interaction with the main entry receptor, the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and the subsequent membrane fusion step. The focus is on the structural organization of these proteins and mechanistic aspects of their interactions that lead to cytoplasmic release of the viral genome. The most potently neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were shown to interfere with the spike/ACE2 interaction. I thus also review the location and the potential impact of mutations in the spike protein observed in the variants of concern that emerged concomitantly with acquired immunity in the population after one year of virus circulation. Understanding how these interactions affect the spike/ACE2 interactions and the subsequent spike-protein-induced membrane fusion reaction is important to stay one step ahead of the virus evolution and develop efficient countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Rey
- Unité de Virologie Structurale, CNRS UMR 3569, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
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17
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Kyosei Y, Namba M, Yamura S, Watabe S, Yoshimura T, Sasaki T, Shioda T, Ito E. Improved Detection Sensitivity of an Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Proteins with Thio-NAD Cycling. Biol Pharm Bull 2021; 44:1332-1336. [PMID: 34148926 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b21-00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Antigen tests for infectious diseases are inexpensive and easy-to-use, but the limit of detection (LOD) is generally higher than that of PCR tests, which are considered the gold standard. In the present study, we combined a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling to improve the LOD of antigen tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For recombinant nucleocapsid proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the LOD of our ELISA with thio-NAD cycling was 2.95 × 10-17 moles/assay. When UV-irradiated inactive SARS-CoV-2 was used, the minimum detectable virions corresponding to 2.6 × 104 RNA copies/assay were obtained using our ELISA with thio-NAD cycling. The assay volume for each test was 100 µL. The minimum detectable value was smaller than that of the latest antigen test using a fluorescent immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2, indicating the validity of our detection system for COVID-19 diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sou Yamura
- Department of Biology, Waseda University
| | - Satoshi Watabe
- Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University
| | - Teruki Yoshimura
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido
| | - Tadahiro Sasaki
- Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University
| | - Tatsuo Shioda
- Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University
| | - Etsuro Ito
- Department of Biology, Waseda University.,Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University.,Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University
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18
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Abstract
Abstract
The entire globe is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic since March 11, 2020. There is still a large number of infected patients and death, and there is no proven treatment for the infection yet. This has led to the race in vaccine development to protect people from COVID-19 infection. As of February 3, 2021, there were 289 experimental COVID -19 vaccines in development, 66 of which were in clinical trials with different phases, and 20 of them were in phase 3.
This study aims to evaluate 15 important vaccines based on criteria such as the dose number, dosing schedule, storage advantages, efficacy, and side effect. In this evaluation, we use the fuzzy PROMETHEE approach, which is an important Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique. The importance level of the criteria is determined based on expert opinion. The result shows that the EpiVacCorona vaccine is the most effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infections based on the selected criteria and the importance level of each criterion.
The result obtained may change based on individual or expert’s priorities. Due to the use of different criteria for the ranking and different weightings of the criteria, the ranking result may differ. This study also shows the strengths and weaknesses of the selected vaccines and the applicability of the MCDM technique for the evaluation of COVID -19 vaccines.
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19
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Mahmoodpoor A, Sanaie S, Samadi P, Yousefi M, Nader ND. SARS-CoV-2: Unique Challenges of the Virus and Vaccines. Immunol Invest 2021; 50:802-809. [PMID: 34109900 PMCID: PMC8204310 DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2021.1936009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In November 2019, the highly infectious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to almost all countries worldwide. Since its emergence, the COVID-19 infection has led to significant public health, economic and social problems. The current pandemic has inspired researchers to make every effort to design and develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine to provide sufficient protection against the virus and control the infection. In December 2020, the Pfizer vaccine was the first COVID-19 vaccine given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), and the second FDA so-approved vaccine was the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, which was introduced a week later. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA-based vaccines, and are estimated to have an efficacy rate of more than 94%. The aim of this article is to provide a review of the attempts made to develop safe SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, highlighting potential challenges and concerns, such as disease enhancement, virus mutations, and public acceptance of the vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Mahmoodpoor
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sarvin Sanaie
- Neurosciences Research Center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Parisa Samadi
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Yousefi
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Nader D Nader
- Department of Anesthesiology and Surgery, University at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, New York, USA
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20
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Heterogeneity of SARS-CoV-2 virus produced in cell culture revealed by shotgun proteomics and supported by genome sequencing. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:7265-7275. [PMID: 34013402 PMCID: PMC8134822 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03401-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 is the most disturbing pandemic of the past hundred years. Its causative agent, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been the subject of an unprecedented investigation to characterize its molecular structure and intimate functioning. While markers for its detection have been proposed and several diagnostic methodologies developed, its propensity to evolve and evade diagnostic tools and the immune response is of great concern. The recent spread of new variants with increased infectivity requires even more attention. Here, we document how shotgun proteomics can be useful for rapidly monitoring the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We evaluated the heterogeneity of purified SARS-CoV-2 virus obtained after culturing in the Vero E6 cell line. We found that cell culture induces significant changes that are translated at the protein level, such changes being detectable by tandem mass spectrometry. Production of viral particles requires careful quality control which can be easily performed by shotgun proteomics. Although considered relatively stable so far, the SARS-CoV-2 genome turns out to be prone to frequent variations. Therefore, the sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 variants from patients reporting only the consensus genome after its amplification would deserve more attention and could benefit from more in-depth analysis of low level but crystal-clear signals, as well as complementary and rapid analysis by shotgun proteomics.
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