Mcculloughnewman1423

Overall, this study provides insights into antigenic variation and potential for cross-neutralizing epitopes on SARS-like viruses.The Coronaviridae are a family of viruses that causes disease in humans ranging from mild respiratory infection to potentially lethal acute respiratory distress syndrome. Finding host factors that are common to multiple coronaviruses could facilitate the development of therapies to combat current and future coronavirus pandemics. Here, we conducted parallel genome-wide CRISPR screens in cells infected by SARS-CoV-2 as well as two seasonally circulating common cold coronaviruses, OC43 and 229E. This approach correctly identified the distinct viral entry factors ACE2 (for SARS-CoV-2), aminopeptidase N (for 229E) and glycosaminoglycans (for OC43). Additionally, we discovered phosphatidylinositol phosphate biosynthesis and cholesterol homeostasis as critical host pathways supporting infection by all three coronaviruses. By contrast, the lysosomal protein TMEM106B appeared unique to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Pharmacological inhibition of phosphatidylinositol phosphate biosynthesis and cholesterol homeostasis reduced replication of all three coronaviruses. These findings offer important insights for the understanding of the coronavirus life cycle as well as the potential development of host-directed therapies.There is an urgent need for vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraging progress has been made in developing antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19. Among the drug targets being investigated, the viral main protease (M pro ) is one of the most extensively studied drug targets. M pro is a cysteine protease that hydrolyzes the viral polyprotein at more than 11 sites and it is highly conserved among coronaviruses. selleck products In addition, M pro has a unique substrate preference for glutamine in the P1 position. Taken together, it appears that M pro inhibitors can achieve both broad-spectrum antiviral activity and a high selectivity index. Structurally diverse compounds have been reported as M pro inhibitors, with several of which also showed antiviral activity in cell culture. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of six previously reported M pro inhibitors, ebselen, disulfiram, tideglusib, carmofur, shikonin, and PX-12 using a consortium of techniqugent with hit validation.The spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the prime target for vaccine development. The spike protein mediates both binding to host cells and membrane fusion and is also so far the only known viral target of neutralizing antibodies. Coronavirus spike proteins are large trimers that are relatively instable, a feature that might be enhanced by the presence of a polybasic cleavage site in the SARS-CoV-2 spike. Exchange of K986 and V987 to prolines has been shown to stabilize the trimers of SARS-CoV-1 and the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus spikes. Here, we test multiple versions of a soluble spike protein for their immunogenicity and protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in a mouse model that transiently expresses human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 via adenovirus transduction. Variants tested include spike protein with a deleted polybasic cleavage site, the proline mutations, a combination thereof, as well as the wild type protein. While all versions of the protein were able to induce neutralizing antibodies, only the antigen with both a deleted cleavage site and the PP mutations completely protected from challenge in this mouse model.

A vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 is urgently needed. A better understanding of antigen design and attributes that vaccine candidates need to have to induce protective immunity is of high importance. The data presented here validates the choice of antigens that contain the PP mutation and suggests that deletion of the polybasic cleavage site could lead to a further optimized design.

A vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 is urgently needed. A better understanding of antigen design and attributes that vaccine candidates need to have to induce protective immunity is of high importance. The data presented here validates the choice of antigens that contain the PP mutation and suggests that deletion of the polybasic cleavage site could lead to a further optimized design.ADP-ribosylation is a protein modification responsible for biological processes such as DNA repair, RNA regulation, cell cycle, and biomolecular condensate formation. Dysregulation of ADP-ribosylation is implicated in cancer, neurodegeneration, and viral infection. We developed ADPriboDB (adpribodb.leunglab.org) to facilitate studies in uncovering insights into the mechanisms and biological significance of ADP-ribosylation. ADPriboDB 2.0 serves as a one-stop repository comprising 48,346 entries and 9,097 ADP-ribosylated proteins, of which 6,708 were newly identified since the original database release. In this updated version, we provide information regarding the sites of ADP-ribosylation in 32,946 entries. The wealth of information allows us to interrogate existing databases or newly available data. For example, we found that ADP-ribosylated substrates are significantly associated with the recently identified human protein interaction networks associated with SARS-CoV-2, which encodes a conserved protein domain called macrodomain that binds and removes ADP-ribosylation. In addition, we create a new interactive tool to visualize the local context of ADP-ribosylation, such as structural and functional features as well as other post-translational modifications (e.g., phosphorylation, methylation and ubiquitination). This information provides opportunities to explore the biology of ADP-ribosylation and generate new hypotheses for experimental testing.The host response to SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates significant inter-individual variability. In addition to showing more disease in males, the elderly, and individuals with underlying co-morbidities, SARS-CoV-2 can seemingly render healthy individuals with profound clinical complications. We hypothesize that, in addition to viral load and host antibody repertoire, host genetic variants also impact vulnerability to infection. Here we apply human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models and CRISPR-engineering to explore the host genetics of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate that a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs4702), common in the population at large, and located in the 3'UTR of the protease FURIN, impacts alveolar and neuron infection by SARS-CoV-2 in vitro . Thus, we provide a proof-of-principle finding that common genetic variation can impact viral infection, and thus contribute to clinical heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2. Ongoing genetic studies will help to better identify high-risk individuals, predict clinical complications, and facilitate the discovery of drugs that might treat disease.