1
|
Woodall MNJ, Cujba AM, Worlock KB, Case KM, Masonou T, Yoshida M, Polanski K, Huang N, Lindeboom RGH, Mamanova L, Bolt L, Richardson L, Cakir B, Ellis S, Palor M, Burgoyne T, Pinto A, Moulding D, McHugh TD, Saleh A, Kilich E, Mehta P, O'Callaghan C, Zhou J, Barclay W, DeCoppi P, Butler CR, Cortina-Borja M, Vinette H, Roy S, Breuer J, Chambers RC, Heywood WE, Mills K, Hynds RE, Teichmann SA, Meyer KB, Nikolić MZ, Smith CM. Age-specific nasal epithelial responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nat Microbiol 2024:10.1038/s41564-024-01658-1. [PMID: 38622380 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01658-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Children infected with SARS-CoV-2 rarely progress to respiratory failure. However, the risk of mortality in infected people over 85 years of age remains high. Here we investigate differences in the cellular landscape and function of paediatric (<12 years), adult (30-50 years) and older adult (>70 years) ex vivo cultured nasal epithelial cells in response to infection with SARS-CoV-2. We show that cell tropism of SARS-CoV-2, and expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in nasal epithelial cell subtypes, differ between age groups. While ciliated cells are viral replication centres across all age groups, a distinct goblet inflammatory subtype emerges in infected paediatric cultures and shows high expression of interferon-stimulated genes and incomplete viral replication. In contrast, older adult cultures infected with SARS-CoV-2 show a proportional increase in basaloid-like cells, which facilitate viral spread and are associated with altered epithelial repair pathways. We confirm age-specific induction of these cell types by integrating data from in vivo COVID-19 studies and validate that our in vitro model recapitulates early epithelial responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kaylee B Worlock
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Tereza Masonou
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Masahiro Yoshida
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ni Huang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Liam Bolt
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Samuel Ellis
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Machaela Palor
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Thomas Burgoyne
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Andreia Pinto
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Dale Moulding
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Timothy D McHugh
- UCL Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Aarash Saleh
- Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Eliz Kilich
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Puja Mehta
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wendy Barclay
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paolo DeCoppi
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Colin R Butler
- Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Epithelial Cell Biology in ENT Research (EpiCENTR) Group, Developmental Biology and Cancer Department, Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Heloise Vinette
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Sunando Roy
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Judith Breuer
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Rachel C Chambers
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Wendy E Heywood
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Kevin Mills
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Robert E Hynds
- Epithelial Cell Biology in ENT Research (EpiCENTR) Group, Developmental Biology and Cancer Department, Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah A Teichmann
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
- Theory of Condensed Matter, Cavendish Laboratory/Dept Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Marko Z Nikolić
- UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK.
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
| | - Claire M Smith
- Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Purwono PB, Vacharathit V, Manopwisedjaroen S, Ludowyke N, Suksatu A, Thitithanyanont A. Infection kinetics, syncytia formation, and inflammatory biomarkers as predictive indicators for the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Calu-3 cells. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301330. [PMID: 38568894 PMCID: PMC10990222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of continued host-virus interaction and viral genome mutations. These variants have been associated with varying levels of transmissibility and disease severity. We investigated the phenotypic profiles of six SARS-CoV-2 variants (WT, D614G, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron) in Calu-3 cells, a human lung epithelial cell line. In our model demonstrated that all variants, except for Omicron, had higher efficiency in virus entry compared to the wild-type. The Delta variant had the greatest phenotypic advantage in terms of early infection kinetics and marked syncytia formation, which could facilitate cell-to-cell spreading, while the Omicron variant displayed slower replication and fewer syncytia formation. We also identified the Delta variant as the strongest inducer of inflammatory biomarkers, including pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (IP-10/CXCL10, TNF-α, and IL-6), anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1RA), and growth factors (FGF-2 and VEGF-A), while these inflammatory mediators were not significantly elevated with Omicron infection. These findings are consistent with the observations that there was a generally more pronounced inflammatory response and angiogenesis activity within the lungs of COVID-19 patients as well as more severe symptoms and higher mortality rate during the Delta wave, as compared to less severe symptoms and lower mortality observed during the current Omicron wave in Thailand. Our findings suggest that early infectivity kinetics, enhanced syncytia formation, and specific inflammatory mediator production may serve as predictive indicators for the virulence potential of future SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priyo Budi Purwono
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Vimvara Vacharathit
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Faculty of Science, Systems Biology of Diseases Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Natali Ludowyke
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ampa Suksatu
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Arunee Thitithanyanont
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, Pornchai Matangkasombut Center for Microbial Genomics, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Amidei A, Dobrovolny HM. Virus-mediated cell fusion of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Math Biosci 2024; 369:109144. [PMID: 38224908 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2024.109144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has the ability to form large multi-nucleated cells known as syncytia. Little is known about how syncytia affect the dynamics of the infection or severity of the disease. In this manuscript, we extend a mathematical model of cell-cell fusion assays to estimate both the syncytia formation rate and the average duration of the fusion phase for five strains of SARS-CoV-2. We find that the original Wuhan strain has the slowest rate of syncytia formation (6.4×10-4/h), but takes only 4.0 h to complete the fusion process, while the Alpha strain has the fastest rate of syncytia formation (0.36 /h), but takes 7.6 h to complete the fusion process. The Beta strain also has a fairly fast syncytia formation rate (9.7×10-2/h), and takes the longest to complete fusion (8.4 h). The D614G strain has a fairly slow syncytia formation rate (2.8×10-3/h), but completes fusion in 4.0 h. Finally, the Delta strain is in the middle with a syncytia formation rate of 3.2×10-2/h and a fusing time of 6.1 h. We note that for these SARS-CoV-2 strains, there appears to be a tradeoff between the ease of forming syncytia and the speed at which they complete the fusion process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ava Amidei
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Hana M Dobrovolny
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Heil M. Self-DNA driven inflammation in COVID-19 and after mRNA-based vaccination: lessons for non-COVID-19 pathologies. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1259879. [PMID: 38439942 PMCID: PMC10910434 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1259879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic triggered an unprecedented concentration of economic and research efforts to generate knowledge at unequalled speed on deregulated interferon type I signalling and nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer in B-cells (NF-κB)-driven interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-18 secretion causing cytokine storms. The translation of the knowledge on how the resulting systemic inflammation can lead to life-threatening complications into novel treatments and vaccine technologies is underway. Nevertheless, previously existing knowledge on the role of cytoplasmatic or circulating self-DNA as a pro-inflammatory damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) was largely ignored. Pathologies reported 'de novo' for patients infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 to be outcomes of self-DNA-driven inflammation in fact had been linked earlier to self-DNA in different contexts, e.g., the infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1, sterile inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. I highlight particularly how synergies with other DAMPs can render immunogenic properties to normally non-immunogenic extracellular self-DNA, and I discuss the shared features of the gp41 unit of the HIV-1 envelope protein and the SARS-CoV 2 Spike protein that enable HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 to interact with cell or nuclear membranes, trigger syncytia formation, inflict damage to their host's DNA, and trigger inflammation - likely for their own benefit. These similarities motivate speculations that similar mechanisms to those driven by gp41 can explain how inflammatory self-DNA contributes to some of most frequent adverse events after vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer/BioNTech) or the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine, i.e., myocarditis, herpes zoster, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune nephritis or hepatitis, new-onset systemic lupus erythematosus, and flare-ups of psoriasis or lupus. The hope is to motivate a wider application of the lessons learned from the experiences with COVID-19 and the new mRNA vaccines to combat future non-COVID-19 diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Heil
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV)-Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bolland W, Michel V, Planas D, Hubert M, Staropoli I, Guivel-Benhassine F, Porrot F, N'Debi M, Rodriguez C, Fourati S, Prot M, Planchais C, Hocqueloux L, Simon-Lorière E, Mouquet H, Prazuck T, Pawlotsky JM, Bruel T, Schwartz O, Buchrieser J. High fusion and cytopathy of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.640.1. J Virol 2024; 98:e0135123. [PMID: 38088562 PMCID: PMC10805008 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01351-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants with undetermined properties have emerged intermittently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Some variants possess unique phenotypes and mutations which allow further characterization of viral evolution and Spike functions. Around 1,100 cases of the B.1.640.1 variant were reported in Africa and Europe between 2021 and 2022, before the expansion of Omicron. Here, we analyzed the biological properties of a B.1.640.1 isolate and its Spike. Compared to the ancestral Spike, B.1.640.1 carried 14 amino acid substitutions and deletions. B.1.640.1 escaped binding by some anti-N-terminal domain and anti-receptor-binding domain monoclonal antibodies, and neutralization by sera from convalescent and vaccinated individuals. In cell lines, infection generated large syncytia and a high cytopathic effect. In primary airway cells, B.1.640.1 replicated less than Omicron BA.1 and triggered more syncytia and cell death than other variants. The B.1.640.1 Spike was highly fusogenic when expressed alone. This was mediated by two poorly characterized and infrequent mutations located in the Spike S2 domain, T859N and D936H. Altogether, our results highlight the cytopathy of a hyper-fusogenic SARS-CoV-2 variant, supplanted upon the emergence of Omicron BA.1. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT04750720.)IMPORTANCEOur results highlight the plasticity of SARS-CoV-2 Spike to generate highly fusogenic and cytopathic strains with the causative mutations being uncharacterized in previous variants. We describe mechanisms regulating the formation of syncytia and the subsequent consequences in a primary culture model, which are poorly understood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Bolland
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Michel
- Pathogenesis of Vascular Infections Unit, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris, France
| | - Delphine Planas
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
- Vaccine Research Institute, Créteil, France
| | - Mathieu Hubert
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Staropoli
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
| | | | - Françoise Porrot
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
| | - Mélissa N'Debi
- Department of Virology, Hôpital Henri Mondor (AP-HP), Université Paris-Est, Créteil, France
- Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U955, Créteil, France
| | - Christophe Rodriguez
- Department of Virology, Hôpital Henri Mondor (AP-HP), Université Paris-Est, Créteil, France
- Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U955, Créteil, France
| | - Slim Fourati
- Department of Virology, Hôpital Henri Mondor (AP-HP), Université Paris-Est, Créteil, France
- Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U955, Créteil, France
| | - Matthieu Prot
- Evolutionary Genomics of RNA Viruses, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Cyril Planchais
- Humoral Immunology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1222, Paris, France
| | | | - Etienne Simon-Lorière
- Evolutionary Genomics of RNA Viruses, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Hugo Mouquet
- Humoral Immunology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1222, Paris, France
| | | | - Jean-Michel Pawlotsky
- Department of Virology, Hôpital Henri Mondor (AP-HP), Université Paris-Est, Créteil, France
- Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U955, Créteil, France
| | - Timothée Bruel
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
- Vaccine Research Institute, Créteil, France
| | - Olivier Schwartz
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
- Vaccine Research Institute, Créteil, France
| | - Julian Buchrieser
- Virus and Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|