Modulation of the immune response by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus

Coronavirus (CoV) infections are commonly associated with respiratory and enteric disease in humans and animals. In 2012, a new human disease called Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) emerged in the Middle East. MERS was caused by a virus that was originally called human coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Center/2012 but was later renamed as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS-CoV causes high fever, cough, acute respiratory tract infection, and multiorgan dysfunction that may eventually lead to the death of the infected individuals. The exact origin of MERS-CoV remains unknown, but the transmission pattern and evidence from virological studies suggest that dromedary camels are the major reservoir host, from which human infections may sporadically occur through the zoonotic transmission. Human to human transmission also occurs in healthcare facilities and communities. Recent studies on Middle Eastern respiratory continue to highlight the need for further understanding the virus-host interactions that govern disease severity and infection outcome. In this review, we have highlighted the major mechanisms of immune evasion strategies of MERS-CoV. We have demonstrated that M, 4a, 4b proteins and Plppro of MERS-CoV inhibit the type I interferon (IFN) and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways and therefore facilitate innate immune evasion. In addition, nonstructural protein 4a (NSP4a), NSP4b, and NSP15 inhibit double-stranded RNA sensors. Therefore, the mentioned proteins limit early induction of IFN and cause rapid apoptosis of macrophages. MERS-CoV strongly inhibits the activation of T cells with downregulation of antigen presentation. In addition, uncontrolled secretion of interferon ɣ-induced protein 10 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 can suppress proliferation of human myeloid progenitor cells.     

严重急性呼吸综合征、中东呼吸综合征和2019冠状病毒病治疗研究进展

严重急性呼吸综合征2019(sever acute respiratory syndrome,SARS)、中东呼吸综合征(Middle East respiratory syndrome,MERS)和2019冠状病毒病(corona virus disease 2019,COVID-19)对全世界人民造成了严重的经济损...     

中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒假病毒系统的建立及其在中和抗体检测中的应用

目的:为了避免中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒(MERS-CoV)感染与中和试验中操作活病毒带来的生物安全隐患,构建只具有一次感染能力而无复制能力的MERS假病毒,建立MERS假病毒系统,并应用于中和抗体检测。方法:构建含有MERS-CoV S基因的重组质粒pcDNA3.1-MERS-S,与缺失Env基因、含有萤光素酶报告基因的HIV-1骨架质粒pNL4-3.Luc.RE共转染293T细胞,收获含有假病毒的上清;通过Western印迹、细胞感染实验和血清中和试验,确定是否包装出MERS假病毒,及是否能有效应用于细胞感染与中和试验。结果:MERS假病毒pMERS-S培养上清经Western印迹鉴定出相对分子质量为25×103的HIV-1 P24蛋白和相对分子质量为180×103的MERS-CoV S蛋白;与阴性对照假病毒pEnv-相比,pMERS-S能有效感染MERS-CoV敏感细胞系Huh-7,在感染细胞中产生荧光信号,感染细胞的假病毒量与产生的荧光信号呈明显的量效关系;在MERS假病毒中和试验中,pMERS-S能被MERS-CoV中和抗体中和而失去感染力,反映抗体对MERS-CoV的中和活性。结论:建立了不依赖于BSL-3高等级生物安全条件的MERS假病毒系统,并有效应用于中和抗体检测,为MERS-CoV疫苗、药物评价及病毒致病机制研究提供了良好的技术支撑手段。     

不同严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2抗体检测试剂盒的诊断应用评价

本文评估了6个品牌的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS­CoV­2)特异性抗体检测试剂盒的性能,以指导临床合理选用。收集2020年1月30日至2020年5月11日期间上海市(复旦大学附属)公共卫生临床中心的住院患者样本资料共245例,其中包括SARS­CoV­2感染确诊患者122例,排除SARS­CoV­2感染的其他疾病患者123例。选用6个品牌的抗体检测试剂盒(3种为胶体金法,3种为化学发光法)检测所有患者的血清样本,同步采用聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)检测SARS­CoV­2核酸,统计临床灵敏度、特异性、阴性预测值和阳性预测值等指标,比较各检测方法间的差异。 结果显示,各检测试剂盒在临床特异性方面表现相近,但临床灵敏度差异明显,IgG的灵敏度高于IgM。化学发光试剂灵敏度为72.1%～85.2%,整体优于胶体金试剂的47.5%～84.4%。所有试剂检测结果与SARS­CoV­2核酸诊断结果相比均有统计学差异(P<0.05)。SARS­CoV­2抗体的特异性检出率随时间而上升,核酸确诊患者≥16 d抗体检出率最高可达96%。 结果表明,SARS­CoV­2抗体检测可作为核酸诊断的辅助手段,IgG和IgM 联合诊断可提高检测的灵敏度。但是不同试剂盒性能表现有差异,应根据不同临床需求和应用场景选择合适的试剂盒。     

二肽基肽酶4为人类中东呼吸道综合征冠状病毒MERS-CoV功能性细胞受体

中东呼吸道综合征冠状病毒（Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV）是继SARS冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）之后新近出现的又一种能够引发严重呼吸道感染的人类新发冠状病毒. MERS-CoV于2012年9月首次在中东一些国家被发现,截至2013年9月7日,MERS-CoV已经引起114例感染病例,其中54人死亡,死亡率约50%. 病毒受体研究为MERS-CoV等人类新发冠状病毒进化和跨种传播机制提供重要依据．最近,Raj等在Nature发表文章,首次报道了二肽基肽酶4（dipeptidyl peptidase 4,DPP4;又名CD26）为MERS-CoV感染细胞的功能性受体．MERS-CoV功能性受体的发现为人类新冠状病毒溯源和跨种进化研究、病毒传染和流行病学特征分析以及抗病毒药物和疫苗研究提供重要基础.     

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3a is a novel structural protein

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3a protein is one of the opening reading frames in the viral genome with no homologue in other known coronaviruses. Expression of the 3a protein has been demonstrated during both in vitro and in vivo infection. Here we present biochemical data to show that 3a is a novel coronavirus structural protein. 3a was detected in virions purified from SARS-CoV infected Vero E6 cells although two truncated products were present predominantly instead of the full-length protein. In Vero E6 cells transiently transfected with a cDNA construct for expressing 3a, a similar cleavage was observed. Furthermore, co-expression of 3a, membrane and envelope proteins using the baculovirus system showed that both full-length and truncated 3a can be assembled into virus-like particles. This is the first report that demonstrated the incorporation of 3a into virion and showed that the SARS-CoV encodes a novel coronavirus structural protein.     

免疫系统：严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型感染后的一把双刃剑

免疫系统是人体内的一把双刃剑,它一方面能清除侵染的各类病原体,但另一方面其异常调控又能在人体中引发各类免疫性疾病,甚至导致死亡。本文将简要讨论人体免疫系统与新的冠状病毒﹝即严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型(severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)〕感染的相互关系。一方面免疫系统能全方位地预防病毒感染,进化出一整套从分子到细胞、从短期到长期的病毒清除机制;另一方面,免疫系统又可能引发“细胞因子风暴”,给SARS-CoV-2的感染患者带来负面作用。本文还将讨论受到广泛关注的免疫相关的治疗策略,着重探讨抗体依赖的增强效应(antibody-dependent enhancement, ADE)可能给疫苗研发带来的困难与挑战。     

Calreticulin as a hydrophilic chimeric molecular adjuvant enhances IgG responses to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus

Fragment 450-650 of the spike (S) protein (S450-650) of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) contains epitopes capable of being recognized by convalescent sera of SARS patients. Vaccination of mice with recombinant S450-650 (rS450-650) can induce Abs against SARS-CoV, although the titer is relatively low. In the present study, a fusion protein linking a fragment (residues 39-272) of murine calreticulin (CRT) to S450-650 in a prokaryotic expression system was created. Compared with target antigen alone, the recombinant fusion product (rS450-650-CRT) has much improved hydrophilicity and immunogenicity. The S450-650-specific IgG Abs of BALB/c mice subcutaneously immunized with rS450-650-CRT were in substantially higher titer (approximately fivefold more). Furthermore, the fusion protein, but not rS450-650 alone, was able to elicit S450-650-specific IgG responses in T cell deficient nude mice. Given that rCRT/39-272 can drive the maturation of bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells, directly activate macrophages and B cells, and also elicit helper T cell responses in vivo, we propose that fragment 39-272 of CRT is an effective molecular adjuvant capable of enhancing target Ag-specific humoral responses in both a T cell-dependent and independent manner. Fusion protein rS450-650-CRT is a potential candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV infection.     

Sequence analysis and structural prediction of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus nsp5

The non-structural proteins (nsp or replicase proteins) of coronaviruses are relatively conserved and can be effective targets for drugs. Few studies have been conducted into the function of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nsp5. In this study, bioinformatics methods were employed to predict the secondary structure and construct 3-D models of the SARS-CoV GD strain nsp5. Sequencing and sequential comparison was performed to analyze the mutation trend of the polymerase nsp5 gene during the epidemic process using a nucleotide-nucleotide basic local alignment search tool (BLASTN) and a protein-protein basic local alignment search tool (BLASTP). The results indicated that the nsp5 gene was steady during the epidemic process and the protein was homologous with other coronavirus nsp5 proteins. The protein encoded by the nsp5 gene was expressed in COS-7 cells and analyzed by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This study provided the foundation for further exploration of the protein‘s biological function, and contributed to the search for anti-SARS-CoV drugs.     

检测牛冠状病毒抗体间接ELISA方法的建立与应用

[背景]牛冠状病毒(Bovine coronavirus,BCoV)是引起新生犊牛死亡的主要病原之一,有效的检测手段是防治该病的前提。目前BCoV ELISA检测方法存在敏感性低、不稳定等缺陷。[目的]对原有BCoV ELISA方法进行改进,建立间接ELISA检测方法。[方法]应用我国BCoV流行毒株CD株n基因为模板,预测N蛋白抗原表位,通过原核表达制备可溶性的重组N蛋白作为抗原,建立间接ELISA方法,应用该方法对黑龙江省2010-2017年的BCoV感染进行血清流行病学调查。[结果]该ELISA方法最佳工作条件为:用50 mmol/LpH 9.6碳酸盐作为包被液,抗原包被浓度2.5μg/mL;用PBST作为样本稀释液,稀释浓度1:50,37℃孵育1.5 h;HRP-羊抗牛IgG稀释浓度1:7 500,37℃孵育1.0 h;用1%明胶37℃封闭30 min。阴阳性临界值为0.225。该方法与BRV、BRSV、BVDV、IBRV、BPIV3和E.coli阳性血清均无交叉反应。批内和批间变异系数均小于10%,与病毒中和试验的符合率高达93.5%。对黑龙江省部分地区共603份奶牛血清样品检测结果显示,BCoV抗体阳性率为98.84%。[结论]建立的ELISA方法特异性强、敏感性高、稳定性好,为进一步研发ELISA试剂盒提供了技术基础。     

2019新型冠状病毒及其诊疗与防控:回顾与展望

2019新型冠状病毒的暴发持续至今,导致了世界各地数以百万计的感染个例,更夺去了数十万人的生命。世界卫生组织在2020年2月将此病毒引起的疾病定名为2019冠状病毒病(Coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19),而国际病毒分类委员会也将此病毒命名为SARS-Co V-2。COVID-19的典型临床症状类似感冒,少数病人可发展为重症甚至死亡。21世纪以来,人类冠状病毒有3次大暴发,分别是2003年暴发的严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)、2012年暴发的中东呼吸综合征(MERS)和本次的新型肺炎。自2003年以来,对SARS和MERS冠状病毒的研究从未间断,对其自然起源、致病机理、药物筛选及疫苗研发等已取得一定进展。鉴于SARS-Co V-2和SARS-Co V的基因组序列高度相似,以往对SARS-Co V的研究对深入探讨SARS-Co V-2生物学特性、诊断、治疗和防控有很强的借鉴性。文中通过回顾过往的研究进展,对比SARS-Co V和SARS-Co V-2的生物学特性,分析当前亟需的防控和诊疗措施,探讨疫苗研发所面对的一些难题,并展望疫情发展趋势及对本领域研究与开发的主要挑战,冀为我国和全世界有效控制COVID-19疫情提供参考。     

SARS-CoV-2抗原表位分析及相关疫苗研发的进展与挑战

疫苗的接种被认为是阻止时下2019冠状病毒病(Corona Virus Disease 2019,COVID-19)疫情进一步蔓延的最有效手段.目前,国内外多个研究团队采用了不同的技术路线开展严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2,S...     

鼠冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白的抗体制备与抗原决定簇分析

核衣壳(nucleocapsid,N)蛋白有稳定病毒基因组、调控病毒复制及细胞状态的特殊作用。鼠肝炎病毒(murine hepatitis virus,MHV)为乙型冠状病毒属的原型病毒,是研究冠状病毒N蛋白功能的经典模型。本研究用去污剂处理鼠冠状病毒粒子暴露N蛋白,另用原核表达纯化的重组N蛋白分别免疫小鼠,制备多克隆及单克隆抗体。酶联免疫吸附试验(enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,ELISA)和蛋白免疫印迹分析结果显示两类抗体均具有高灵敏度和特异度,与甲型冠状病毒猪传染性胃肠炎病毒(porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus,TGEV)的N蛋白无交叉反应。原核表达缺失突变的N蛋白分析结果显示,多克隆抗体与单克隆抗体2E6识别的鼠冠状病毒N蛋白抗原决定簇完全一致,位于N端结构域(N-terminal domain,NTD)C端与SR之间的58个氨基酸残基内。此外,基于单克隆抗体2E6的ELISA及免疫荧光法能检测到感染细胞中和培养上清液中的N蛋白组分,且其含量与病毒复制的滴度一致。这些结果表明,鼠冠状病毒复制过程中粒子与细胞中的N蛋白可能维持相似的结构,使NTD与SR之间的部分氨基酸残基一直暴露在表面,从而形成了优势抗原决定簇。     

Development of immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the serodiagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The clinical characteristics are high fever, rapidly progressive diffuse pneumonitis and respiratory distress. It is highly infectious through intimate contact or direct contact with infectious body fluids. Outbreaks within communities and hospitals have been reported. Development of rapid and reliable diagnostic tools is urgently needed. We developed an immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using whole virus antigen of SARS-CoV. Eighty-six serum samples collected from patients who were hospitalized for other causes were examined to determine the cut-off O.D. value. The cut-off O.D. value was defined as 0.175 by calculating the mean O.D. value of the 86 sera plus 3 standard deviations. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA, 56 positive sera and 204 negative sera were tested. The sensitivity was 96.4% and the specificity was 100%. The results suggest that the IgG ELISA using whole virus antigen of SARS-CoV has a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting SARS IgG antibodies. This IgG ELISA is a powerful tool for serodiagnosis of SARS.     

值得关切的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型变异株

自2019年12月2019冠状病毒病暴发流行以来,严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 型已经产生了1万个以上的变异株。其中有些可能获得更强的传染性,有的致病性得以提高,有的或许不能被现有的检测试剂检测出来,还有的也许能够逃逸疫苗的免疫保护作用。世界卫生组织于2021年5月31日发布了针对这些变异株的新的命名系统。本文对当前世界上流行较广的4个变异株进行综述,包括最近在广州市引起小暴发的δ变异株。     

Development of A MERS-CoV Replicon Cell Line for Antiviral Screening

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the causative agent of a severe respiratory disease with a high mortality of ~ 35%. The lack of approved treatments for MERS-CoV infection underscores the need for a user-friendly system for rapid drug screening. In this study, we constructed a MERS-CoV replicon containing the Renilla luciferase (Rluc) reporter gene and a stable luciferase replicon-carrying cell line. Using this cell line, we showed that MERS-CoV replication was inhibited by combined application of lopinavir and ritonavir, indicating that this cell line can be used to screen inhibitors of MERS-CoV replication. Importantly, the MERS-replicon cell line can be used for high-throughput screening of antiviral drugs without the need for live virus handling, providing an effective and safe tool for the discovery of antiviral drugs against MERS-CoV.