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Oladunni FS, Park JG, Pino PA, Gonzalez O, Akhter A, Allué-Guardia A, Olmo-Fontánez A, Gautam S, Garcia-Vilanova A, Ye C, Chiem K, Headley C, Dwivedi V, Parodi LM, Alfson KJ, Staples HM, Schami A, Garcia JI, Whigham A, Platt RN, Gazi M, Martinez J, Chuba C, Earley S, Rodriguez OH, Mdaki SD, Kavelish KN, Escalona R, Hallam CRA, Christie C, Patterson JL, Anderson TJC, Carrion R, Dick EJ, Hall-Ursone S, Schlesinger LS, Alvarez X, Kaushal D, Giavedoni LD, Turner J, Martinez-Sobrido L, Torrelles JB. Lethality of SARS-CoV-2 infection in K18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 transgenic mice. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6122. [PMID: 33257679 PMCID: PMC7705712 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19891-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 251] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccine and antiviral development against SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 disease would benefit from validated small animal models. Here, we show that transgenic mice expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) by the human cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18 hACE2) represent a susceptible rodent model. K18 hACE2 transgenic mice succumbed to SARS-CoV-2 infection by day 6, with virus detected in lung airway epithelium and brain. K18 ACE2 transgenic mice produced a modest TH1/2/17 cytokine storm in the lung and spleen that peaked by day 2, and an extended chemokine storm that was detected in both lungs and brain. This chemokine storm was also detected in the brain at day 6. K18 hACE2 transgenic mice are, therefore, highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and represent a suitable animal model for the study of viral pathogenesis, and for identification and characterization of vaccines (prophylactic) and antivirals (therapeutics) for SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated severe COVID-19 disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatai S Oladunni
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Jun-Gyu Park
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Paula A Pino
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Olga Gonzalez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Anwari Akhter
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | | | - Angélica Olmo-Fontánez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
- Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Shalini Gautam
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | | | - Chengjin Ye
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Kevin Chiem
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
- Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Colwyn Headley
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Varun Dwivedi
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Laura M Parodi
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Kendra J Alfson
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Hilary M Staples
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Alyssa Schami
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
- Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Juan I Garcia
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Alison Whigham
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Roy Neal Platt
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Michal Gazi
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Jesse Martinez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Colin Chuba
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Stephanie Earley
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | | | | | | | - Renee Escalona
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Cory R A Hallam
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Corbett Christie
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Jean L Patterson
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Tim J C Anderson
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Ricardo Carrion
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Edward J Dick
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | | | | | - Xavier Alvarez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Deepak Kaushal
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Luis D Giavedoni
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Joanne Turner
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA.
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