SARS冠状病毒S蛋白候选细胞受体氨基肽酶N的基因变异研究

氨基肽酶N是人类冠状病毒HCoV 2 2 9E的细胞受体 ,可能为SARS冠状病毒 (SARS CoV)S蛋白的受体。应用变性高效液相色谱 (DHPLC)技术筛查了正常无关个体中氨基肽酶N编码基因ANPEP的全部外显子及其两侧部分内含子序列。对筛查中DHPLC峰型提示有基因变异存在的DNA片段行PCR产物直接测序 ,共发现 9种单核苷酸多态 (SNP) ,其中 4种为非同义SNP ,分别为T32 1M(96 2C >T)、S6 5 1L(195 2C >T)、S75 2N(2 2 5 5G >A)和G76 4R(2 2 90G >A) ;其余 5种SNP为T795T(2 385C >T)、IVS7+17G >A、IVS14 16A >G、IVS17+12C >G和IVS17+44C >T。这些SNP的发现 ,为SARS CoV的宿主遗传因素研究 ,特别是发现SARS CoV感染和SARS发病的易感基因或抗病基因 ,提供了遗传标记。     

抗SARS药物设计的靶点--冠状病毒主蛋白酶

严重急性呼吸综合征(severe acute respiratory syndrome，SARS)由SARS冠状病毒(SARS—CoV)感染所引起。SARS—CoV主蛋白酶(M^pro)在冠状病毒复制及转录过程中起重要作用，因而成为直接抗SARS病毒药物设计的一个颇为诱人的靶标。SARS—CoVM^pro的三维结构的阐明、酶与抑制剂间结合方式的确认，为发现直接作用于M^pro的抗SARS药物设计提供了基础。     

SARS病毒基因组的多态性

对SARS病人粪便样本直接测序,得到SRAS—CoV BJ202全基因组序列（AY864806）。应用比较基因组研究方法对GenBank中公布的115株SARS—CoV基因组序列以及BJ202进行分析。以GZ02序列为参照,发现2个以上基因组中同时存在单核苷酸多态（SNP）位点共278个。多态位点在SARS—CoV基因组中呈偏态分布,大约一半突变位点（50．4％,140／278）发生在基因组3’末端1／3区域。编码Orf10-11、Orf3／4、E蛋白、M蛋白和S蛋白区域突变率较高。克隆并测序含有BJ202基因组12个多态位点的11个cDNA以及4个不含已知多态位点的cDNA片段（15个片段总长度为6．0kb）,结果显示：BJ202特有的3个多态位点（13804、1503l和20792）以及另外3个多态位点（26428、26477和27243）均检出两种不同核苷酸;位点18379虽在已公布的115株SARS—CoV基因组中未发现突变,实际上也是多态位点。14个克隆中有8个克隆该位点为A,6个克隆为G。全部116个SARS—CoV基因组中共有18种缺失类型和2种插入类型。大部分缺失发生在编码ORF9和ORF10-11区域（基因组序列27700—28000bp处）。以邻位连接法（Neighbor-Joining）构建了116株SARS—CoV系统发育树,BJ202与BJ01和LLJ-2004等SARS—CoV的亲缘关系较接近。     

SARS冠状病毒的Spike蛋白以及病毒的细胞侵入机制

严重急性呼吸系统综合征（SARS）是由SARS冠状病毒（SARS—CoV）引起的一种新型人类疾病,具有高致病性、高传染性、高死亡率的特点。Spike蛋白是冠状捅毒膜表面的糖蛋白突出,构成病毒的包膜子粒,在病毒与其受体结合、通过膜融合进入宿主细胞以及诱导机体产生中和性抗体的过程中发挥着重要的作用：目前利用Spike蛋白开发出的一些防治SARS的药物和疫苗在动物和体外实验中有良好的抗病毒作用。本文阐述了SARS—CoV Spike蛋白的结构与功能,为抗SARS药物及疫苗的研发提供一定的理论基础.     

SARS冠状病毒基础研究进展

SARS(severe acute respiratory syndrome,严重急性呼吸综合症)是严重危害人类健康的传染病,现已发现其病原体为正链RNA冠状病毒(coronavirus,CoV),SARS CoV为一类新型的冠状病毒,至今没有有效对抗其感染的药物。本文从SARS CoV的功能受体、蛋白酶、疫苗和RNA干扰技术在SARS CoV研究中的应用等方面综述了其基础研究进展,旨在为抗SARS CoV的药物研制提供一定的理论依据。     

严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)冠状病毒S蛋白的鉴定与分析

利用293细胞对SARS病人样品进行病毒扩增,培养上清中病毒颗粒经过纯化后,利用蛋白质组学技术,对纯化得到的SARS冠状病毒颗粒蛋白进行初步分离与鉴定。其中质谱分析结果最终表明,分子量约150kD的蛋白质的氨基酸序列与SARS—CoV基因组所预测S蛋白质序列高度吻合,从而首次从蛋白质水平对SARS冠状病毒S蛋白的氨基酸序列进行了证实。     

SARS病毒与其他冠状病毒的基因组比较

本文利用生物信息学方法比较SARS病毒和其他冠状病毒基因组。通过数据库搜索,找出与SARS病毒基因组相似的核酸或蛋白质序列,并对相似序列进行比对,分析它们的共性和差异。结果表明,SARS病毒在基因组的组织上及结构蛋白质方面与现有冠状病毒有比较大的相似性,SARS病毒基因组与冠状病毒基因组相关。但是,SARS病毒基因组还存在一些特异性序列,ORF1a和S蛋白(特别是S1)的变化以及SARS—CoV特异性的非结构蛋白可能是SARS发病机理与传染特性区别于其他冠状病毒的分子基础。在全基因组水平上进行核酸单词出现频率分析,结果表明,SARS病毒远离已知的其他冠状病毒,单独成为一类。     

SARS冠状病毒结构蛋白在血清学诊断中潜在应用价值的比较

为了确定特异的SARS抗体检测抗原,比较了SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)主要结构蛋白与SARS患者血清的反应性。从SARS死亡患者的肺组织提取的总RNA为模板,用RT-PCR技术分别扩增S、N、M和E4种结构蛋白基因,对3种S截短突变体和N、M、E的重组蛋白在大肠杆菌中进行表达。以表达的蛋白为抗原,应用Western blot跟踪检测11例SARS患者血清54份。结果显示：SARS—CoV的重组N蛋白和s蛋白有很强的抗原性,s蛋白的3个区段的抗原性强弱存在差异,S3抗原性强于S1和s2;在患病第1周、2周、3周及3周以上,N蛋白和s3蛋白抗体检出率分别为40％、65。2％、100％、100％和40％、61％、76.2％、100％;提示SARS-CoV重组N蛋白和S3蛋白在SARS的血清学诊断中有一定的应用价值。     

肿瘤患者血清中SARS-CoV抗体阳性原因分析

探讨SARS冠状病毒(SARS—CoV)抗体在SARS病原学诊断中的特异性及其在肿瘤患血清中的假阳性问题。应用ELISA和荧光定量RT-PCR技术检测了111例正常对照和40例肿瘤患血清中SARS—CoV抗体的阳性率。在111例正常对照中,IgM抗体均阴性,IgG抗体的阳性率为3．6％(4／111);IgG抗体诊断SARS的特异性为96．4％,两种抗体同时阳性诊断SARS的特异性为100％。40例肿瘤患中,IgM抗体均阴性,IgG抗体阳性率17．5％(7／40)。经RT—PCR检测,上述肿瘤患阳性病例均为阴性。结果表明,同时测定SARS—CoV的两种抗体可降低诊断的假阳性率,提高诊断的特异性。用非纯化SARS—CoV抗原制备的ELISA试剂盒测定肿瘤患的SARS—CoV抗体,可能出现假阳性。在肿瘤患中出现假阳性的原因可能与包被的抗原有关。     

SARS冠状病毒的起源研究进展*

SARS冠状病毒(SARS—CoV)是一种新现病毒,可感染多种动物,果子狸是人类SARS—CoV重要的动物宿主之一,是已知较理想的实验动物模型。遗传因素在SARS-CoV的出现过程中起重要作用,它很可能是哺乳动物和鸟类冠状病毒之间重组产生的新物种,但发生基因重组不是SARS在人群中暴发的原因。     

Membrane insertion of the three main membranotropic sequences from SARS-CoV S2 glycoprotein

In order to complete the fusion process of SARS-CoV virus, several regions of the S2 virus envelope glycoprotein are necessary. Recent studies have identified three membrane-active regions in the S2 domain of SARS-CoV glycoprotein, one situated downstream of the minimum furin cleavage, which is considered the fusion peptide (SARSFP), an internal fusion peptide located immediately upstream of the HR1 region (SARSIFP) and the pre-transmembrane domain (SARSPTM). We have explored the capacity of these selected membrane-interacting regions of the S2 SARS-CoV fusion protein, alone or in equimolar mixtures, to insert into the membrane as well as to perturb the dipole potential of the bilayer. We show that the three peptides interact with lipid membranes depending on lipid composition and experiments using equimolar mixtures of these peptides show that different segments of the protein may act in a synergistic way suggesting that several membrane-active regions could participate in the fusion process of the SARS-CoV.     

Retroviruses pseudotyped with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein efficiently infect cells expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2

Infection of receptor-bearing cells by coronaviruses is mediated by their spike (S) proteins. The coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infects cells expressing the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Here we show that codon optimization of the SARS-CoV S-protein gene substantially enhanced S-protein expression. We also found that two retroviruses, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and murine leukemia virus, both expressing green fluorescent protein and pseudotyped with SARS-CoV S protein or S-protein variants, efficiently infected HEK293T cells stably expressing ACE2. Infection mediated by an S-protein variant whose cytoplasmic domain had been truncated and altered to include a fragment of the cytoplasmic tail of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein was, in both cases, substantially more efficient than that mediated by wild-type S protein. Using S-protein-pseudotyped SIV, we found that the enzymatic activity of ACE2 made no contribution to S-protein-mediated infection. Finally, we show that a soluble and catalytically inactive form of ACE2 potently blocked infection by S-protein-pseudotyped retrovirus and by SARS-CoV. These results permit studies of SARS-CoV entry inhibitors without the use of live virus and suggest a candidate therapy for SARS.     

Identification of an antigenic determinant on the S2 domain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike glycoprotein capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a life-threatening disease caused by a newly identified coronavirus (CoV), SARS-CoV. The spike (S) glycoprotein of CoV is the major structural protein responsible for induction of host immune response and virus neutralization by antibodies. Hence, knowledge of neutralization determinants on the S protein is helpful for designing protective vaccines. To analyze the antigenic structure of the SARS-CoV S2 domain, the carboxyl-terminal half of the S protein, we first used sera from convalescent SARS patients to test the antigenicity of 12 overlapping fragments spanning the entire S2 and identified two antigenic determinants (Leu 803 to Ala 828 and Pro 1061 to Ser 1093). To determine whether neutralizing antibodies can be elicited by these two determinants, we immunized animals and found that both of them could induce the S2-specific antisera. In some animals, however, only one determinant (Leu 803 to Ala 828) was able to induce the antisera with the binding ability to the native S protein and the neutralizing activity to the SARS-CoV pseudovirus. This determinant is highly conserved across different SARS-CoV isolates. Identification of a conserved antigenic determinant on the S2 domain of the SARS-CoV S protein, which has the potential for inducing neutralizing antibodies, has implications in the development of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV.     

Interaction of a peptide corresponding to the loop domain of the S2 SARS-CoV virus protein with model membranes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) envelope spike (S) glycoprotein is responsible for the fusion between the membranes of the virus and the target cell. In the case of the S2 domain of protein S, it has been found a highly hydrophobic and interfacial domain flanked by the heptad repeat 1 and 2 regions; significantly, different peptides pertaining to this domain have shown a significant leakage effect and an important plaque formation inhibition, which, similarly to HIV-1 gp41, support the role of this region in the fusion process. Therefore, we have carried out a study of the binding and interaction with model membranes of a peptide corresponding to segment 1073–1095 of the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein, peptide SARS_L in the presence of different membrane model systems, as well as the structural changes taking place in both the lipid and the peptide induced by the binding of the peptide to the membrane. Our results show that SARS_L strongly partitions into phospholipid membranes and organizes differently in lipid environments, displaying membrane activity modulated by the lipid composition of the membrane. These data would support its role in SARS-CoV mediated membrane fusion and suggest that the region where this peptide resides could be involved in the merging of the viral and target cell membranes.     

Cleavage of spike protein of SARS coronavirus by protease factor Xa is associated with viral infectivity

The spike (S) protein of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been known to recognize and bind to host receptors, whose conformational changes then facilitate fusion between the viral envelope and host cell membrane, leading to viral entry into target cells. However, other functions of SARS-CoV S protein such as proteolytic cleavage and its implications to viral infection are incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that the infection of SARS-CoV and a pseudovirus bearing the S protein of SARS-CoV was inhibited by a protease inhibitor Ben-HCl. Also, the protease Factor Xa, a target of Ben-HCl abundantly expressed in infected cells, was able to cleave the recombinant and pseudoviral S protein into S1 and S2 subunits, and the cleavage was inhibited by Ben-HCl. Furthermore, this cleavage correlated with the infectivity of the pseudovirus. Taken together, our study suggests a plausible mechanism by which SARS-CoV cleaves its S protein to facilitate viral infection.     

The functional motif of SARS-CoV S protein involved in the interaction with ACE2

SARS-CoV is a newly discovery pathogen causing severe acute respiratory problems. It has been established that the S protein in this pathogen plays an important rule in the adsorption and penetration of SARS-CoV into the host cell by interaction with the ACE2 receptor. To determinant which functional motif of the S protein was involved in the interaction with ACE2, seven truncated S proteins deleted from the N or C terminal were obtained by an E.coli expression system and purified by column chromatography to homogeneity. Each truncated S protein was fixed on to the well of an ELISA plate and an interaction was initiated with the ACE2 protein. The adsorption were quantified by ELISA, and the results indicated that amino acids from 388 to 496 of the S protein was responsible for the interaction with the ACE2 receptor, and the interaction could be completely disrupted by an antibody specific to these amino acids. Deletions adjacent to this domain did not appear to have a significant impact on the interaction with ACE2, suggesting that the S protein of SARS-CoV could be developed as a vaccine to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV.     

Entry from the cell surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus with cleaved S protein as revealed by pseudotype virus bearing cleaved S protein

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is known to take an endosomal pathway for cell entry; however, it is thought to enter directly from the cell surface when a receptor-bound virion spike (S) protein is affected by trypsin, which induces cleavage of the S protein and activates its fusion potential. This suggests that SARS-CoV bearing a cleaved form of the S protein can enter cells directly from the cell surface without trypsin treatment. To explore this possibility, we introduced a furin-like cleavage sequence in the S protein at amino acids 798 to 801 and found that the mutated S protein was cleaved and induced cell fusion without trypsin treatment when expressed on the cell surface. Furthermore, a pseudotype virus bearing a cleaved S protein was revealed to infect cells in the presence of a lysosomotropic agent as well as a protease inhibitor, both of which are known to block SARS-CoV infection via an endosome, whereas the infection of pseudotypes with an uncleaved, wild-type S protein was blocked by these agents. A heptad repeat peptide, derived from a SARS-CoV S protein that is known to efficiently block infections from the cell surface, blocked the infection by a pseudotype with a cleaved S protein but not that with an uncleaved S protein. Those results indicate that SARS-CoV with a cleaved S protein is able to enter cells directly from the cell surface and agree with the previous observation of the protease-mediated cell surface entry of SARS-CoV.     

Adenovirus-mediated expression of the C-terminal domain of SARS-CoV spike protein is sufficient to induce apoptosis in Vero E6 cells

The pro-apoptotic properties of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) structural proteins were studied in vitro. By monitoring apoptosis indicators including chromatin condensation, cellular DNA fragmentation and cell membrane asymmetry, we demonstrated that the adenovirus-mediated over-expression of SARS-CoV spike (S) protein and its C-terminal domain (S2) induce apoptosis in Vero E6 cells in a time- and dosage-dependent manner, whereas the expression of its N-terminal domain (S1) and other structural proteins, including envelope (E), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) protein do not. These findings suggest a possible role of S and S2 protein in SARS-CoV induced apoptosis and the molecular pathogenesis of SARS.     

Important role for the transmembrane domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein during entry

The spike protein (S) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is responsible for receptor binding and membrane fusion. It contains a highly conserved transmembrane domain that consists of three parts: an N-terminal tryptophan-rich domain, a central domain, and a cysteine-rich C-terminal domain. The cytoplasmic tail of S has previously been shown to be required for assembly. Here, the roles of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of S in the infectivity and membrane fusion activity of SARS-CoV have been studied. SARS-CoV S-pseudotyped retrovirus (SARSpp) was used to measure S-mediated infectivity. In addition, the cell-cell fusion activity of S was monitored by a Renilla luciferase-based cell-cell fusion assay. S(VSV-Cyt), an S chimera with a cytoplasmic tail derived from vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G), and S(MHV-TMDCyt), an S chimera with the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of mouse hepatitis virus, displayed wild-type-like activity in both assays. S(VSV-TMDCyt), a chimera with the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of VSV-G, was impaired in the SARSpp and cell-cell fusion assays, showing 3 to 25% activity compared to the wild type, depending on the assay and the cells used. Examination of the oligomeric state of the chimeric S proteins in SARSpp revealed that S(VSV-TMDCyt) trimers were less stable than wild-type S trimers, possibly explaining the lowered fusogenicity and infectivity.     

Structural Insights into Immune Recognition of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus S Protein Receptor Binding Domain

The spike (S) protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is responsible for host cell attachment and fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. Within S the receptor binding domain (RBD) mediates the interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the SARS-CoV host cell receptor. Both S and the RBD are highly immunogenic and both have been found to elicit neutralizing antibodies. Reported here is the X-ray crystal structure of the RBD in complex with the Fab of a neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibody, F26G19, elicited by immunization with chemically inactivated SARS-CoV. The RBD-F26G19 Fab complex represents the first example of the structural characterization of an antibody elicited by an immune response to SARS-CoV or any fragment of it. The structure reveals that the RBD surface recognized by F26G19 overlaps significantly with the surface recognized by ACE2 and, as such, suggests that F26G19 likely neutralizes SARS-CoV by blocking the virus-host cell interaction.