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Chan JFW, Yuan S, Chu H, Sridhar S, Yuen KY. COVID-19 drug discovery and treatment options. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024:10.1038/s41579-024-01036-y. [PMID: 38622352 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01036-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused substantial morbidity and mortality, and serious social and economic disruptions worldwide. Unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated older individuals with underlying diseases are especially prone to severe disease. In patients with non-fatal disease, long COVID affecting multiple body systems may persist for months. Unlike SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, which have either been mitigated or remained geographically restricted, SARS-CoV-2 has disseminated globally and is likely to continue circulating in humans with possible emergence of new variants that may render vaccines less effective. Thus, safe, effective and readily available COVID-19 therapeutics are urgently needed. In this Review, we summarize the major drug discovery approaches, preclinical antiviral evaluation models, representative virus-targeting and host-targeting therapeutic options, and key therapeutics currently in clinical use for COVID-19. Preparedness against future coronavirus pandemics relies not only on effective vaccines but also on broad-spectrum antivirals targeting conserved viral components or universal host targets, and new therapeutics that can precisely modulate the immune response during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Shatin, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Shatin, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Hin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Shatin, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Siddharth Sridhar
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Kwok-Yung Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
- Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Shatin, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
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2
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Chan CWF, Wang B, Nan L, Huang X, Mao T, Chu HY, Luo C, Chu H, Choi GCG, Shum HC, Wong ASL. High-throughput screening of genetic and cellular drivers of syncytium formation induced by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Nat Biomed Eng 2024; 8:291-309. [PMID: 37996617 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01140-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Mapping mutations and discovering cellular determinants that cause the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to induce infected cells to form syncytia would facilitate the development of strategies for blocking the formation of such cell-cell fusion. Here we describe high-throughput screening methods based on droplet microfluidics and the size-exclusion selection of syncytia, coupled with large-scale mutagenesis and genome-wide knockout screening via clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), for the large-scale identification of determinants of cell-cell fusion. We used the methods to perform deep mutational scans in spike-presenting cells to pinpoint mutable syncytium-enhancing substitutions in two regions of the spike protein (the fusion peptide proximal region and the furin-cleavage site). We also used a genome-wide CRISPR screen in cells expressing the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 to identify inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis that impede syncytium formation, which we validated in hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2. Finding genetic and cellular determinants of the formation of syncytia may reveal insights into the physiological and pathological consequences of cell-cell fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W F Chan
- Laboratory of Combinatorial Genetics and Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Bei Wang
- Laboratory of Combinatorial Genetics and Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lang Nan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiner Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tianjiao Mao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hoi Yee Chu
- Laboratory of Combinatorial Genetics and Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Cuiting Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gigi C G Choi
- Laboratory of Combinatorial Genetics and Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Alan S L Wong
- Laboratory of Combinatorial Genetics and Synthetic Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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3
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Zhao X, Qiu T, Huang X, Mao Q, Wang Y, Qiao R, Li J, Mao T, Wang Y, Cun Y, Wang C, Luo C, Yoon C, Wang X, Li C, Cui Y, Zhao C, Li M, Chen Y, Cai G, Geng W, Hu Z, Cao J, Zhang W, Cao Z, Chu H, Sun L, Wang P. Potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies against sarbecoviruses induced by sequential COVID-19 vaccination. Cell Discov 2024; 10:14. [PMID: 38320990 PMCID: PMC10847457 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-024-00648-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The current SARS-CoV-2 variants strikingly evade all authorized monoclonal antibodies and threaten the efficacy of serum-neutralizing activity elicited by vaccination or prior infection, urging the need to develop antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses. Here, we identified both potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies from a five-dose vaccinated donor who exhibited cross-reactive serum-neutralizing activity against diverse coronaviruses. Through single B-cell sorting and sequencing followed by a tailor-made computational pipeline, we successfully selected 86 antibodies with potential cross-neutralizing ability from 684 antibody sequences. Among them, PW5-570 potently neutralized all SARS-CoV-2 variants that arose prior to Omicron BA.5, and the other three could broadly neutralize all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, SARS-CoV and their related sarbecoviruses (Pangolin-GD, RaTG13, WIV-1, and SHC014). Cryo-EM analysis demonstrates that these antibodies have diverse neutralization mechanisms, such as disassembling spike trimers, or binding to RBM or SD1 to affect ACE2 binding. In addition, prophylactic administration of these antibodies significantly protects nasal turbinate and lung infections against BA.1, XBB.1, and SARS-CoV viral challenge in golden Syrian hamsters, respectively. Importantly, post-exposure treatment with PW5-5 and PW5-535 also markedly protects against XBB.1 challenge in these models. This study reveals the potential utility of computational process to assist screening cross-reactive antibodies, as well as the potency of vaccine-induced broadly neutralizing antibodies against current SARS-CoV-2 variants and related sarbecoviruses, offering promising avenues for the development of broad therapeutic antibody drugs.
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Grants
- We thank Center of Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Fudan University for the supports on cryo-EM data collection. This study was supported by funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFC3404000 to Z.C.), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32270142 to P.W.; 32300121 to X.Z; 31900483 and 32370697 to T.Q.; 32070657 to Z.C.), National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFA0905900 to Z.C.), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2021YFC2302500 to L.S.), Shanghai Rising-Star Program (22QA1408800 to P.W.), Shanghai Pujiang Programme (23PJD007 to X.Z.), Shanghai Sailing Program (19YF1441100 to T.Q.), the Program of Science and Technology Cooperation with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (23410760500 to P.W.), AI for Science project of Fudan University (XM06231724 to T.Q. & P.W.), and R&D Program of Guangzhou Laboratory (SRPG22-003 to L.S.). This study was also supported by Collaborative Research Fund (HKU C7103-22G to H.C.), Theme-Based Research Scheme (T11-709/21-N to H.C.), the Research Grants Council of the HKSAR; the Health and Medical Research Fund (COVID1903010-Project 14 to H.C.), the Food and Health Bureau, the Government of the HKSAR; and Emergency COVID-19 grant (2021YFC0866100 to H.C.) from Major Projects on Public Security under the National Key Research and Development Program of China. Pengfei Wang acknowledges support from Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University (No. SKLGE-2304) and Xiaomi Young Talents Program. Xiaoyu Zhao acknowledges support from International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program (Talent-Introduction Program, YJ20220079).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Zhao
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianyi Qiu
- Institute of Clinical Science, ZhongShan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiner Huang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qiyu Mao
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajie Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui Qiao
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiayan Li
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tiantian Mao
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yewei Cun
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Caicui Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuiting Luo
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chaemin Yoon
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xun Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Li
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuchen Cui
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chaoyue Zhao
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minghui Li
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanjia Chen
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guonan Cai
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenye Geng
- Fudan Zhangjiang Institute, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zixin Hu
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Incubation Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinglei Cao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwei Cao
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Hin Chu
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Lei Sun
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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4
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Zhang L, Kempf A, Nehlmeier I, Cossmann A, Richter A, Bdeir N, Graichen L, Moldenhauer AS, Dopfer-Jablonka A, Stankov MV, Simon-Loriere E, Schulz SR, Jäck HM, Čičin-Šain L, Behrens GMN, Drosten C, Hoffmann M, Pöhlmann S. SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 enters lung cells and evades neutralizing antibodies with high efficiency. Cell 2024; 187:596-608.e17. [PMID: 38194966 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
BA.2.86, a recently identified descendant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2 sublineage, contains ∼35 mutations in the spike (S) protein and spreads in multiple countries. Here, we investigated whether the virus exhibits altered biological traits, focusing on S protein-driven viral entry. Employing pseudotyped particles, we show that BA.2.86, unlike other Omicron sublineages, enters Calu-3 lung cells with high efficiency and in a serine- but not cysteine-protease-dependent manner. Robust lung cell infection was confirmed with authentic BA.2.86, but the virus exhibited low specific infectivity. Further, BA.2.86 was highly resistant against all therapeutic antibodies tested, efficiently evading neutralization by antibodies induced by non-adapted vaccines. In contrast, BA.2.86 and the currently circulating EG.5.1 sublineage were appreciably neutralized by antibodies induced by the XBB.1.5-adapted vaccine. Collectively, BA.2.86 has regained a trait characteristic of early SARS-CoV-2 lineages, robust lung cell entry, and evades neutralizing antibodies. However, BA.2.86 exhibits low specific infectivity, which might limit transmissibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhang
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Amy Kempf
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Inga Nehlmeier
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anne Cossmann
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Anja Richter
- Institute of Virology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Najat Bdeir
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Luise Graichen
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Alexandra Dopfer-Jablonka
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Metodi V Stankov
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Etienne Simon-Loriere
- G5 Evolutionary Genomics of RNA Viruses, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; National Reference Center for Viruses of respiratory Infections, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Sebastian R Schulz
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine 3, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hans-Martin Jäck
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine 3, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Luka Čičin-Šain
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, 30625 Hannover, Germany; Center for Individualized Infection Medicine, a joint venture of HZI and MHH, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Georg M N Behrens
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, 30625 Hannover, Germany; Center for Individualized Infection Medicine, a joint venture of HZI and MHH, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Hoffmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Stefan Pöhlmann
- Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
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5
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Yang D, Chan JFW, Yoon C, Luk TY, Shuai H, Hou Y, Huang X, Hu B, Chai Y, Yuen TTT, Liu Y, Zhu T, Liu H, Shi J, Wang Y, He Y, Sit KY, Au WK, Zhang AJ, Yuan S, Zhang BZ, Huang YW, Chu H. Type-II IFN inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung epithelial cells and ex vivo human lung tissues through indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-mediated pathways. J Med Virol 2024; 96:e29472. [PMID: 38373201 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Interferons (IFNs) are critical for immune defense against pathogens. While type-I and -III IFNs have been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, the antiviral effect and mechanism of type-II IFN against SARS-CoV-2 remain largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the antiviral activity of type-II IFN (IFNγ) using human lung epithelial cells (Calu3) and ex vivo human lung tissues. In this study, we found that IFNγ suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication in both Calu3 cells and ex vivo human lung tissues. Moreover, IFNγ treatment does not significantly modulate the expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry-related factors and induces a similar level of pro-inflammatory response in human lung tissues when compared with IFNβ treatment. Mechanistically, we show that overexpression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), which is most profoundly induced by IFNγ, substantially restricts the replication of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha and Delta variants. Meanwhile, loss-of-function study reveals that IDO1 knockdown restores SARS-CoV-2 replication restricted by IFNγ in Calu3 cells. We further found that the treatment of l-tryptophan, a substrate of IDO1, partially rescues the IFNγ-mediated inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 replication in both Calu3 cells and ex vivo human lung tissues. Collectively, these results suggest that type-II IFN potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through IDO1-mediated antiviral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Yang
- Xianghu Laboratory, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, China
- Academician Workstation of Hainan Province, Hainan Medical University-The University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China
- The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chaemin Yoon
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tsz-Yat Luk
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huiping Shuai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuxin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiner Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bingjie Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yue Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Terrence Tsz-Tai Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuanchen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tianrenzheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jialu Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yixin He
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ko-Yung Sit
- Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing-Kuk Au
- Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Anna Jinxia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bao-Zhong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | | | - Hin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, China
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6
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Shi G, Li T, Lai KK, Johnson RF, Yewdell JW, Compton AA. Omicron Spike confers enhanced infectivity and interferon resistance to SARS-CoV-2 in human nasal tissue. Nat Commun 2024; 15:889. [PMID: 38291024 PMCID: PMC10828397 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45075-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Omicron emerged following COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, displaced previous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern worldwide, and gave rise to lineages that continue to spread. Here, we show that Omicron exhibits increased infectivity in primary adult upper airway tissue relative to Delta. Using recombinant forms of SARS-CoV-2 and nasal epithelial cells cultured at the liquid-air interface, we show that mutations unique to Omicron Spike enable enhanced entry into nasal tissue. Unlike earlier variants of SARS-CoV-2, our findings suggest that Omicron enters nasal cells independently of serine transmembrane proteases and instead relies upon metalloproteinases to catalyze membrane fusion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this entry pathway unlocked by Omicron Spike enables evasion from constitutive and interferon-induced antiviral factors that restrict SARS-CoV-2 entry following attachment. Therefore, the increased transmissibility exhibited by Omicron in humans may be attributed not only to its evasion of vaccine-elicited adaptive immunity, but also to its superior invasion of nasal epithelia and resistance to the cell-intrinsic barriers present therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoli Shi
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Tiansheng Li
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kin Kui Lai
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Reed F Johnson
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan W Yewdell
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alex A Compton
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA.
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7
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Parsons RJ, Acharya P. Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113444. [PMID: 37979169 PMCID: PMC10782855 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern, first identified in November 2021, rapidly spread worldwide and diversified into several subvariants. The Omicron spike (S) protein accumulated an unprecedented number of sequence changes relative to previous variants. In this review, we discuss how Omicron S protein structural features modulate host cell receptor binding, virus entry, and immune evasion and highlight how these structural features differentiate Omicron from previous variants. We also examine how key structural properties track across the still-evolving Omicron subvariants and the importance of continuing surveillance of the S protein sequence evolution over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth J Parsons
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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8
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de Souza AS, de Souza RF, Guzzo CR. Cooperative and structural relationships of the trimeric Spike with infectivity and antibody escape of the strains Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (BA.2, BA.5, and BQ.1). J Comput Aided Mol Des 2023; 37:585-606. [PMID: 37792106 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-023-00534-0] [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: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we conducted simulations of trimeric Spike from several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (Delta and Omicron sub-variants BA.2, BA.5, and BQ.1) and investigated the mechanisms by which specific mutations confer resistance to neutralizing antibodies. We observed that the mutations primarily affect the cooperation between protein domains within and between protomers. The substitutions K417N and L452R expand hydrogen bonding interactions, reducing their interaction with neutralizing antibodies. By interacting with nearby residues, the K444T and N460K mutations in the SpikeBQ.1 variant potentially reduces solvent exposure, thereby promoting resistance to antibodies. We also examined the impact of D614G, P681R, and P681H substitutions on Spike protein structure that may be related to infectivity. The D614G substitution influences communication between a glycine residue and neighboring domains, affecting the transition between up- and -down RBD states. The P681R mutation, found in the Delta variant, enhances correlations between protein subunits, while the P681H mutation in Omicron sub-variants weakens long-range interactions that may be associated with reduced fusogenicity. Using a multiple linear regression model, we established a connection between inter-protomer communication and loss of sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies. Our findings underscore the importance of structural communication between protein domains and provide insights into potential mechanisms of immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2. Overall, this study deepens our understanding of how specific mutations impact SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and shed light on how the virus evades the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anacleto Silva de Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil.
| | - Robson Francisco de Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Rodrigues Guzzo
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil.
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9
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Roessler J, Pich D, Krähling V, Becker S, Keppler OT, Zeidler R, Hammerschmidt W. SARS-CoV-2 and Epstein-Barr Virus-like Particles Associate and Fuse with Extracellular Vesicles in Virus Neutralization Tests. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2892. [PMID: 38001893 PMCID: PMC10669694 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11112892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The successful development of effective viral vaccines depends on well-known correlates of protection, high immunogenicity, acceptable safety criteria, low reactogenicity, and well-designed immune monitoring and serology. Virus-neutralizing antibodies are often a good correlate of protective immunity, and their serum concentration is a key parameter during the pre-clinical and clinical testing of vaccine candidates. Viruses are inherently infectious and potentially harmful, but we and others developed replication-defective SARS-CoV-2 virus-like-particles (VLPs) as surrogates for infection to quantitate neutralizing antibodies with appropriate target cells using a split enzyme-based approach. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-derived VLPs associate and fuse with extracellular vesicles in a highly specific manner, mediated by the respective viral fusion proteins and their corresponding host receptors. We highlight the capacity of virus-neutralizing antibodies to interfere with this interaction and demonstrate a potent application using this technology. To overcome the common limitations of most virus neutralization tests, we developed a quick in vitro diagnostic assay based on the fusion of SARS-CoV-2 VLPs with susceptible vesicles to quantitate neutralizing antibodies without the need for infectious viruses or living cells. We validated this method by testing a set of COVID-19 patient serum samples, correlated the results with those of a conventional test, and found good sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this serological assay can be adapted to a human herpesvirus, EBV, and possibly other enveloped viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Roessler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany; (J.R.); (R.Z.)
- Research Unit Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Dagmar Pich
- Research Unit Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Verena Krähling
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany; (V.K.); (S.B.)
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Becker
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany; (V.K.); (S.B.)
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Oliver T. Keppler
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- COVID-19 Registry of the LMU Munich (CORKUM), LMU University Hospital, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute and Gene Center, Virology, National Reference Center for Retroviruses, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Reinhard Zeidler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, 81377 Munich, Germany; (J.R.); (R.Z.)
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Munich, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hammerschmidt
- Research Unit Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
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10
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Shi G, Li T, Lai KK, Johnson RF, Yewdell JW, Compton AA. Omicron Spike confers enhanced infectivity and interferon resistance to SARS-CoV-2 in human nasal tissue. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.06.539698. [PMID: 37425811 PMCID: PMC10327209 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.06.539698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Omicron emerged following COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, displaced previous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern worldwide, and gave rise to lineages that continue to spread. Here, we show that Omicron exhibits increased infectivity in primary adult upper airway tissue relative to Delta. Using recombinant forms of SARS-CoV-2 and nasal epithelial cells cultured at the liquid-air interface, enhanced infectivity maps to the step of cellular entry and evolved recently through mutations unique to Omicron Spike. Unlike earlier variants of SARS-CoV-2, Omicron enters nasal cells independently of serine transmembrane proteases and instead relies upon metalloproteinases to catalyze membrane fusion. This entry pathway unlocked by Omicron Spike enables evasion of constitutive and interferon-induced antiviral factors that restrict SARS-CoV-2 entry following attachment. Therefore, the increased transmissibility exhibited by Omicron in humans may be attributed not only to its evasion of vaccine-elicited adaptive immunity, but also to its superior invasion of nasal epithelia and resistance to the cell-intrinsic barriers present therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoli Shi
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD
| | - Tiansheng Li
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD
| | - Kin Kui Lai
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD
| | - Reed F. Johnson
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jonathan W Yewdell
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD
| | - Alex A Compton
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD
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11
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Shuai H, Chan JFW, Hu B, Chai Y, Yoon C, Liu H, Liu Y, Shi J, Zhu T, Hu JC, Hu YF, Hou Y, Huang X, Yuen TTT, Wang Y, Zhang J, Xia Y, Chen LL, Cai JP, Zhang AJ, Yuan S, Zhou J, Zhang BZ, Huang JD, Yuen KY, To KKW, Chu H. The viral fitness and intrinsic pathogenicity of dominant SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5. EBioMedicine 2023; 95:104753. [PMID: 37579626 PMCID: PMC10448076 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among the Omicron sublineages that have emerged, BA.1, BA.2, BA.5, and their related sublineages have resulted in the largest number of infections. While recent studies demonstrated that all Omicron sublineages robustly escape neutralizing antibody response, it remains unclear on whether these Omicron sublineages share any pattern of evolutionary trajectory on their replication efficiency and intrinsic pathogenicity along the respiratory tract. METHODS We compared the virological features, replication capacity of dominant Omicron sublineages BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 in the human nasal epithelium, and characterized their pathogenicity in K18-hACE2, A129, young C57BL/6, and aged C57BL/6 mice. FINDINGS We found that BA.5 replicated most robustly, followed by BA.2 and BA.1, in the differentiated human nasal epithelium. Consistently, BA.5 infection resulted in higher viral gene copies, infectious viral titres and more abundant viral antigen expression in the nasal turbinates of the infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. In contrast, the Omicron sublineages are continuously attenuated in lungs of infected K18-hACE2 and C57BL/6 mice, leading to decreased pathogenicity. Nevertheless, lung manifestations remain severe in Omicron sublineages-infected A129 and aged C57BL/6 mice. INTERPRETATION Our results suggested that the Omicron sublineages might be gaining intrinsic replication fitness in the upper respiratory tract, therefore highlighting the importance of global surveillance of the emergence of hyper-transmissive Omicron sublineages. On the contrary, replication and intrinsic pathogenicity of Omicron is suggested to be further attenuated in the lower respiratory tract. Effective vaccination and other precautions should be in place to prevent severe infections in the immunocompromised populations at risk. FUNDING A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiping Shuai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Academician Workstation of Hainan Province, Hainan Medical University-The University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China; and The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Bingjie Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yue Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Chaemin Yoon
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yuanchen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jialu Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Tianrenzheng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jing-Chu Hu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Ye-Fan Hu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yuxin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Xiner Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Terrence Tsz-Tai Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jinjin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Lin-Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jian-Piao Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Anna Jinxia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Bao-Zhong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jian-Dong Huang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Kwok-Yung Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Academician Workstation of Hainan Province, Hainan Medical University-The University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China; and The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Kelvin Kai-Wang To
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
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12
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Li Y, Wang K, Sun H, Wu S, Wang H, Shi Y, Li X, Yan H, Yang G, Wu M, Li Y, Ding X, Si S, Jiang J, Du Y, Li Y, Hong B. Omicsynin B4 potently blocks coronavirus infection by inhibiting host proteases cathepsin L and TMPRSS2. Antiviral Res 2023; 214:105606. [PMID: 37076089 PMCID: PMC10110284 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants represents a major threat to public health and requires identification of novel therapeutic agents to address the unmet medical needs. Small molecules impeding viral entry through inhibition of spike protein priming proteases could have potent antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Omicsynin B4, a pseudo-tetrapeptides identified from Streptomyces sp. 1647, has potent antiviral activity against influenza A viruses in our previous study. Here, we found omicsynin B4 exhibited broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus activity against HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 prototype and its variants in multiple cell lines. Further investigations revealed omicsynin B4 blocked the viral entry and might be related to the inhibition of host proteases. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mediated pseudovirus assay supported the inhibitory activity on viral entry of omicsynin B4 with a more potent inhibition of Omicron variant, especially when overexpression of human TMPRSS2. Moreover, omicsynin B4 exhibited superior inhibitory activity in the sub-nanomolar range against CTSL, and a sub-micromolar inhibition against TMPRSS2 in biochemical assays. The molecular docking analysis confirmed that omicsynin B4 fits well in the substrate binding sites and forms a covalent bond to Cys25 and Ser441 in CTSL and TMPRSS2, respectively. In conclusion, we found that omicsynin B4 may serve as a natural protease inhibitor for CTSL and TMPRSS2, blocking various coronavirus S protein-driven entry into cells. These results further highlight the potential of omicsynin B4 as an attractive candidate as a broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus agent that could rapidly respond to emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihua Li
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Kun Wang
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Hongmin Sun
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Shuo Wu
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Huiqiang Wang
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Yuanyuan Shi
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Xingxing Li
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Haiyan Yan
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Ge Yang
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Mengyuan Wu
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Yihong Li
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Xiaotian Ding
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Shuyi Si
- NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Jiandong Jiang
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Yu Du
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Yuhuan Li
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Research, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Bin Hong
- CAMS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology for Drug Innovation, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
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