Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Structure of the Nucleic Acid-Binding Domain of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Nonstructural Protein 3

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure of a globular domain of residues 1071 to 1178 within the previously annotated nucleic acid-binding region (NAB) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3) has been determined, and N- and C-terminally adjoining polypeptide segments of 37 and 25 residues, respectively, have been shown to form flexibly extended linkers to the preceding globular domain and to the following, as yet uncharacterized domain. This extension of the structural coverage of nsp3 was obtained from NMR studies with an nsp3 construct comprising residues 1066 to 1181 [nsp3(1066-1181)] and the constructs nsp3(1066-1203) and nsp3(1035-1181). A search of the protein structure database indicates that the globular domain of the NAB represents a new fold, with a parallel four-strand β-sheet holding two α-helices of three and four turns that are oriented antiparallel to the β-strands. Two antiparallel two-strand β-sheets and two 3₁₀-helices are anchored against the surface of this barrel-like molecular core. Chemical shift changes upon the addition of single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs) identified a group of residues that form a positively charged patch on the protein surface as the binding site responsible for the previously reported affinity for nucleic acids. This binding site is similar to the ssRNA-binding site of the sterile alpha motif domain of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Vts1p protein, although the two proteins do not share a common globular fold.The coronavirus replication cycle begins with the translation of the 29-kb positive-strand genomic RNA to produce two large polyprotein species (pp1a and pp1ab), which are subsequently cleaved to produce 15 or possibly 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp''s) (11). Among these, nsp3 is the largest nsp and also the largest coronavirus protein. nsp3 is a glycosylated (16, 22), multidomain (36, 51), integral membrane protein (38). All known coronaviruses encode a homologue of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nsp3, and sequence analysis suggests that at least some functions of nsp3 may be found in all members of the order Nidovirales (11). Hallmarks of the coronavirus nsp3 proteins include one or two papain-like proteinase domains (3, 12, 16, 31, 56, 62), one to three histone H2A-like macrodomains which may bind RNA or RNA-like substrates (5, 9, 48, 54, 55), and a carboxyl-terminal Y domain of unknown function (13). An extensive bioinformatics analysis of the coronavirus replicase proteins by Snijder et al. (51) provided detailed annotations of the then-recently sequenced SARS-CoV genome (35, 47), including the identification of a domain unique to SARS-CoV and the prediction of the ADP-ribose-1″-phosphatase (ADRP) activity of the X domain (since shown to be one of the macrodomains).Only limited information is so far available regarding the ways in which the functions of nsp3 are involved in the coronavirus replication cycle. Some functions of nsp3 appear to be directed toward protein; e.g., the nsp3 proteinase domain cleaves the amino-terminal two or three nsp''s from the polyprotein and has deubiquitinating activity (4, 6, 14, 30, 53, 60). Most homologues of the most conserved macrodomain of nsp3 appear to possess ADRP activity (9, 34, 41-43, 48, 59) and may act on protein-conjugated poly(ADP-ribose); however, this function appears to be dispensable for replication (10, 42) and may not be conserved in all coronaviruses (41). The potential involvement of nsp3 in RNA replication is suggested by the presence of several RNA-binding domains (5, 36, 49, 54, 55). nsp3 has been identified in convoluted membrane structures that are also associated with other replicase proteins and that have been shown to be involved in viral RNA synthesis (16, 24, 52), and nsp3 papain-like proteinase activity is essential for replication (14, 62). Other conserved structural features of nsp3 include two ubiquitin-like domains (UB1 and UB2) (45, 49). We have also recently reported that nsp3 is a structural protein, since it was identified as a minor component of purified SARS-CoV preparations, although it is not known whether nsp3 is directly involved in virogenesis or is incidentally incorporated due to protein-protein or protein-RNA interactions (36).A nucleic acid-binding region (NAB) is located within the polypeptide segment of residues 1035 to 1203 of nsp3. The NAB is expected to be located in the cytoplasm, along with the papain-like protease, ADRP, a region unique to SARS-CoV (the SARS-CoV unique domain [SUD]), and nsp3a, since both the N and C termini of nsp3 were shown previously to be cytoplasmic (38). Two hydrophobic segments are membrane spanning (38), and the NAB is located roughly 200 residues in the N-terminal direction from the first membrane-spanning segment. This paper presents the next step in the structural coverage of nsp3, with the determination of the NAB structure. The structural studies included nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization of two constructs, an nsp3 construct comprising residues 1035 to 1181 [nsp3(1035-1181)] and nsp3(1066-1203), and complete NMR structure determination for the construct nsp3(1066-1181) (see Fig. ​Fig.8).8). The structural data were then used as a platform from which to investigate the nature of the previously reported single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)-binding activity of the NAB (36). Since no three-dimensional (3D) structures for the corresponding domains in other group II coronaviruses are known and since the SARS-CoV NAB has only very-low-level sequence identity to other proteins, such data could not readily be derived from comparisons with structurally and functionally characterized homologues.Open in a separate windowFIG. 8.Sequence alignment of the polypeptide segment nsp3(1066-1181) that forms the globular domain of the SARS-CoV NAB with homologues from other group II coronaviruses. Protein multiple-sequence alignment was performed using ClustalW2 and included sequences from SARS-CoV Tor2 (accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAP41036","term_id":"30795144","term_text":"AAP41036"}}AAP41036) and representatives of three protein clusters corresponding to three group II coronavirus lineages identified by a BLAST search: bat coronavirus HKU5-5 (BtCoV-HKU5-5; accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ABN10901","term_id":"124389468","term_text":"ABN10901"}}ABN10901), BtCoV-HKU9-1 (accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"P0C6T6","term_id":"190360129","term_text":"P0C6T6"}}P0C6T6), and human coronavirus HKU1-N16 (HCoV-HKU1-N16; accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ABD75496","term_id":"89515407","term_text":"ABD75496"}}ABD75496). Above the sequences, the positions in full-length SARS-CoV nsp3, the locations of the regular secondary structures in the presently solved NMR structure of the SARS-CoV NAB globular domain, and the residue numbering in this domain are indicated. Amino acids are colored according to conservation and biochemical properties, following ClustalW conventions. Residues implicated in interactions with ssRNA are marked with inverted black triangles. In the present context, the key features are that there is only one position with conservation of K or R (red) and that there are extended sequences with conservation of hydrophobic residues (blue) (see the text).     

非典-SARS-冠状病毒

2002年11月,一种神秘不明的疾病出现在我国广东省继页肆虐全球,世界上有27个国家和地区相继报道出现这种疫情.     

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.     

Hamsters as a Model of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), rapidly spread across the world in late 2019, leading to a pandemic. While SARS-CoV-2 infections predominately affect the respiratory system, severe infections can lead to renal and cardiac injury and even death. Due to its highly transmissible nature and severe health implications, animal models of SARS-CoV-2 are critical to developing novel therapeutics and preventatives. Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are an ideal animal model of SARS-CoV-2 infections because they recapitulate many aspects of human infections. After inoculation with SARS-CoV-2, hamsters become moribund, lose weight, and show varying degrees of respiratory disease, lethargy, and ruffled fur. Histopathologically, their pulmonary lesions are consistent with human infections including interstitial to broncho-interstitial pneumonia, alveolar hemorrhage and edema, and granulocyte infiltration. Similar to humans, the duration of clinical signs and pulmonary pathology are short lived with rapid recovery by 14 d after infection. Immunocompromised hamsters develop more severe infections and mortality. Preclinical studies in hamsters have shown efficacy of therapeutics, including convalescent serum treatment, and preventatives, including vaccination, in limiting or preventing clinical disease. Although hamster studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of the pathogenesis and progression of disease after SARS-CoV-2 infection, additional studies are required to better characterize the effects of age, sex, and virus variants on clinical outcomes in hamsters. This review aims to describe key findings from studies of hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to highlight areas that need further investigation.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel betacoronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019.³¹ Coronavirus infections predominantly present with either respiratory or gastrointestinal manifestations, depending on the strain and host. While many coronavirus infections result in mild clinical symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 is highly pathogenic and poses significant health concerns.^31,58,78 Although initial clinical signs are attributed to the respiratory system, severe infections result in systemic complications, such as acute cardiac and renal injury, secondary infections, and shock.^31,58SARS-CoV-2 relies on a structural surface spike glycoprotein to establish infection. The spike protein binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on host cells to gain entry in a receptor-mediated fashion. This interaction facilitates both human-to-human transmission and cross-species infection.⁷⁷ Species tropism is determined by the presence of ACE2 residues that recognize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Animals permissive for SARS-CoV-2 infection include cats, ferrets, pigs, nonhuman primates, select genetically modified mice, and hamsters.^5,7,23,37,67 Susceptible species can be both intermediate hosts and sources of infection of SARS-CoV-2 for humans.⁷⁷ Rodents, such as mice and hamsters, are ideal models for the study of COVID-19 due to their small size, ready availability, low cost of care, SPF status, and in-depth characterization across a variety of translational models, including past and present betacoronavirus infections.^60,61 Although transgenic mice expressing human ACE2 are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) naturally express ACE2 residues that recognize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.^5,46,84 As such, Syrian hamsters are a valuable animal model for studying COVID-19.Syrian hamsters, commonly referred to as golden hamsters, belong to the family Cricetidae and have a natural geographic range of arid southeast Europe and Asia Minor. Additional members of the Cricetidae family used in biomedical research include Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus), European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus), Armenian hamsters (Cricetulus migratorius), and dwarf hamsters (Phodopus species). Unless otherwise noted, any mention of hamsters in this overview refers to Syrian hamsters. Laboratory hamsters primarily originated from one Syrian litter captured in 1930. Progeny of this litter were first imported into the United States in 1938.⁵⁰ Outbred Syrian hamsters are widely available; recently developed transgenic hamsters are increasingly used in biomedical research and may provide unique insight into SARS-CoV-2 infections.^22,44 Syrian hamsters have a rich history in biomedical research and can be used to model cancer and infectious, metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases.⁵⁰Hamsters play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 studies. This is due, in part, to their susceptibility to the first described highly pathogenic coronavirus infection in the 21st century, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). SARS-CoV emerged in late 2002 in Southern China. Although individuals in more than 20 countries contracted SARS-CoV, the spread was quickly contained, with the last reported case in July 2003.^16,40 After experimental infection with SARS-CoV, hamsters developed high viral loads in the lungs and nasal turbinates.^{15,32,56,62,69} Pulmonary pathology included inflammation, cell necrosis, and consolidation without clinical signs of disease.⁶¹ Based on their susceptibility to SARS-CoV and natural expression of ACE2 capable of recognizing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, hamsters have been a preferred model of SARS-CoV-2. Hamster studies have replicated key aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans, including viral replication, transmission, and pathology. Furthermore, hamsters are a model organism for developing and testing novel preventions and therapeutics. However, using hamsters in biomedical research has several key limitations, including the lack of reagents, especially antibodies, suitable for use with hamster tissue and the relatively few established transgenic hamsters compared to mice. The purpose of this review is to describe key findings of hamster models of SARS-CoV-2 and to highlight gaps in our current understanding that will require further investigation.     

Characterization of a Highly Conserved Domain within the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein S2 Domain with Characteristics of a Viral Fusion Peptide

Many viral fusion proteins are primed by proteolytic cleavage near their fusion peptides. While the coronavirus (CoV) spike (S) protein is known to be cleaved at the S1/S2 boundary, this cleavage site is not closely linked to a fusion peptide. However, a second cleavage site has been identified in the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV) S2 domain (R797). Here, we investigated whether this internal cleavage of S2 exposes a viral fusion peptide. We show that the residues immediately C-terminal to the SARS-CoV S2 cleavage site SFIEDLLFNKVTLADAGF are very highly conserved across all CoVs. Mutagenesis studies of these residues in SARS-CoV S, followed by cell-cell fusion and pseudotyped virion infectivity assays, showed a critical role for residues L803, L804, and F805 in membrane fusion. Mutation of the most N-terminal residue (S798) had little or no effect on membrane fusion. Biochemical analyses of synthetic peptides corresponding to the proposed S2 fusion peptide also showed an important role for this region in membrane fusion and indicated the presence of α-helical structure. We propose that proteolytic cleavage within S2 exposes a novel internal fusion peptide for SARS-CoV S, which may be conserved across the Coronaviridae.The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged in 2003 as a significant threat to human health, and CoVs still represent a leading source of novel viruses for emergence into the human population. The CoV spike (S) protein mediates both receptor binding (via the S1 domain) and membrane fusion (via the S2 domain) and shows many features of a class I fusion protein, including the presence of distinct heptad repeats within the fusion domain (37). A critical feature of any viral fusion protein is the so-called “fusion peptide,” which is a relatively apolar region of 15 to 25 amino acids that interacts with membranes and drives the fusion reaction (9, 34, 38). Fusion peptides can be classified as N-terminal or internal, depending on their location relative to the cleavage site of the virus fusion protein (23). One key feature of viral fusion peptides is that within a particular virus family, there is high conservation of amino acid residues; however, there is little similarity between fusion peptides of different virus families (26). Despite these differences, some common themes do emerge, including a high level of glycine and/or alanine residues, as well as critical bulky hydrophobic amino acids. In several cases, the fusion peptide is known to contain a central “kink.” In the case of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA), which is a classic example of an N-terminal fusion peptide, the N- and C-terminal parts of the fusion peptide (which are α-helical) penetrate the outer leaflet of the target membrane, with the kink at the phospholipid surface. The inside of the kink contains hydrophobic amino acids, with charged residues on the outer face (18). Internal fusion peptides (such as Ebola virus [EBOV] GP) often contain a conserved proline near their centers but also require a mixture of hydrophobic and flexible residues similar to N-terminal fusion peptides (9, 11). It is believed that the kinked fusion peptide sits in the outer leaflet of the target membrane and possibly induces positive curvature to drive the fusion reaction (22). It is important to note that, despite the presence of key hydrophobic residues, viral fusion peptides often do not display extensive stretches of hydrophobicity and can contain one or more charged residues (8). Ultimately, fusion peptide identification must rely on an often complex set of criteria, including structures of the fusion protein in different conformations, biophysical measurements of peptide function in model membranes, and biological activity in the context of virus particles.To date, the exact location and sequence of the CoV fusion peptide are not known (4); however, by analogy with other class I viral fusion proteins, it is predicted to be in the S2 domain. Overall, three membranotropic regions in SARS-CoV S2 have been suggested as potential fusion peptides (14, 17). Based on sequence analysis and a hydrophobicity analysis of the S protein using the Wimley-White (WW) interfacial hydrophobic interface scale, initial indications were that the SARS-CoV fusion peptide resided in the N-terminal part of HR1 (heptad repeat 1) (5, 6), which is conserved across the Coronaviridae. Mutagenesis of this predicted fusion peptide inhibited fusion in syncytia assays of S-expressing cells (28). This region of SARS-CoV has also been analyzed by other groups in biochemical assays (16, 17, 29) and defined as the WW II region although Sainz et al. (29) actually identified another, less conserved and less hydrophobic, region (WW I) as being more important for fusion. Peptides corresponding to this region have also been studied in biochemical assays by other groups (13). In addition, a third, aromatic region adjacent to the transmembrane domain (the membrane-proximal domain) has been shown to be important in SARS-CoV fusion (15, 20, 25, 30). This membrane-proximal domain likely acts in concert with a fusion peptide in the S2 ectodomain to mediate final bilayer fusion once conformational changes have exposed the fusion peptide in the ectodomain. To date, there is little or no information on the fusion peptides of CoVs other than SARS-CoV, except for the identification of the N-terminal part of the mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) S HR1 domain as a putative fusion peptide based on sequence analysis (6). In none of these cases (for SARS-CoV or MHV) is the role of these sequences as bone fide fusion peptides established.The majority of class I fusion proteins prime fusion activation by proteolytic processing, with the cleavage event occurring immediately N-terminal to the fusion peptide (21). In the case of SARS-CoV, early reports analyzing heterologously expressed SARS-CoV spike protein indicated that most of the protein was not cleaved (31, 39) but that there was some possibility of limited cleavage at the S1-S2 boundary (39). However, it is generally considered that S1-S2 cleavage is not directly linked to fusion peptide exposure in the case of SARS-CoV or any other CoV (4). Recently, however, it has been shown that SARS-CoV S can be proteolytically cleaved at a downstream position in S2, at residue 797 (2, 36). Here, we investigated whether cleavage at this internal position in S2 might expose a domain with properties of a viral fusion peptide. We carried out a mutagenesis study of SARS-CoV S residues 798 to 815 using cell-cell fusion and pseudovirus assays, as well as lipid mixing and structural studies of an isolated peptide, and we show the importance of this region as a novel fusion peptide for SARS-CoV.     

Elastase-mediated Activation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein at Discrete Sites within the S2 Domain

Proteolytic priming is a common method of controlling the activation of membrane fusion mediated by viral glycoproteins. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein (SARS-CoV S) can be primed by a variety of host cell proteases, with proteolytic cleavage occurring both as the S1/S2 boundary and adjacent to a fusion peptide in the S2 domain. Here, we studied the priming of SARS-CoV S by elastase and show an important role for residue Thr⁷⁹⁵ in the S2 domain. A series of alanine mutants were generated in the vicinity of the S2 cleavage site, with the goal of examining elastase-mediated cleavage within S2. Both proteolytic cleavage and fusion activation were modulated by altering the cleavage site position. We propose a novel mechanism whereby SARS-CoV fusion protein function can be controlled by spatial regulation of the proteolytic priming site, with important implications for viral pathogenesis.     

SARS冠状病毒PLpro蛋白酶的结构与功能

SARS冠状病毒基因组编码2种病毒蛋白酶,即木瓜样蛋白酶（PLpro）和3C样蛋白酶(3CLpro).其中,PLpro蛋白酶结构与功能研究是近年来冠状病毒分子生物学研究的热点之一. PLpro蛋白酶参与SARS冠状病毒1a(1ab)复制酶多聚蛋白N端部分的切割加工,是SARS冠状病毒复制酶复合体(RC)形成的重要调节蛋白分子;最新研究表明,SARS冠状病毒PLpro蛋白酶是一种病毒编码的去泛素化酶（DUB）,对细胞蛋白具有明显去泛素化作用;而且对泛素(Ub)和泛素样分子ISG15均具有活性. PLpro蛋白酶对宿主抗病毒天然免疫反应具有负调节作用,是SARS冠状病毒的一种重要干扰素拮抗分子.PLpro蛋白酶是一种多功能病毒蛋白酶.本文结合作者课题组研究工作,对SARS冠状病毒PLpro蛋白酶结构和功能研究最新进展进行综述.     

SARS动物模型的研究

利用分离的SARS CoV毒株BJ 0 1,经滴鼻等途径感染大鼠、豚鼠、黑线仓鼠、白化仓鼠和雏鸡等 5个种属的动物 ,筛选对SARS易感的小动物。在此基础上 ,选择食蟹猴和恒河猴进行SARS的人工感染实验 ,评价其作为SARS动物模型的可能性。结果表明 ,大鼠、豚鼠、黑线仓鼠、白化仓鼠和雏鸡等动物对SARS均不易感 ,感染后未观察到任何的临床及病理学改变 ,不过从感染 2周后的大鼠和豚鼠的肺和咽等组织样本中检测到了的特异的核酸 ,提示SARS CoV能够在这两种动物的体内复制。从感染猴子的分泌物和脏器中分离出了病毒 ,证明SARS CoV也能够在猴子体内复制。临床和病理组织学检查结果显示 ,SARS病毒接种食蟹猴和恒河猴后 ,可以引起所有实验猴发生间质性肺炎 ,其病理学改变与人类感染SARS病毒后肺部病变近似 ,但病变的严重程度比较人类的轻得多 ,除此之外无任何其它的明显的临床表现及组织病理学改变 ,按照动物模型的指标判断食蟹猴和恒河猴并不是SARS的理想动物模型 ,不过在目前尚没有更理想的动物模型情况下 ,以间质性肺炎为病理学检查指标 ,恒河猴和食蟹猴可以作为评价抗SARS药物和疫苗的模型动物     

SARS 冠状病毒 S 蛋白受体结合结构域的表达及其表位作图

严重急性呼吸综合征 (SARS) 是一种新出现的人类传染病,该病的病原是 SARS 冠状病毒 (SARS-CoV). S 蛋白是 SARS 冠状病毒的一种主要结构蛋白,它在病毒与宿主细胞受体结合以及诱导机体产生中和抗体中起重要作用 . 研究表明 S 蛋白与受体结合的核心区域为第 318 ~ 510 氨基酸残基的片段 . 首先克隆并用 pGEX-6p-1 载体融合表达了该受体结合结构域,并且通过蛋白质印迹分析表明,该受体结合结构域融合蛋白能被 SARS 康复患者血清和 S 蛋白特异的单克隆抗体所识别 . 为了对这一区域进行抗原表位作图,进一步设计了一套 23 个覆盖受体结合结构域的长 16 个氨基酸残基的部分重叠短肽,并进行了 GST 融合表达 . 用免疫动物血清和单克隆抗体 D3D1 对 23 个融合蛋白进行蛋白质印迹和 ELISA 免疫反应性分析,结果鉴定出两个抗原表位 SRBD3(F334PSVYAWERKKISNCV349) 和表位 D3D1 (K447LRPFERDI455). 其结果对进一步分析 S 蛋白结构与功能以及诊断试剂和基因工程疫苗的研究有一定意义 .     

SARS冠状病毒的分子生物学研究

严重急性呼吸系统综合征(SARS)是2002年底爆发于中国广东,后蔓延全球的传染性疾病。其病原体为一种未知的新型冠状病毒,章从SARS冠状病毒的蛋白构成和功能研究、SARS冠状病毒感染机制(表型变化,受体)、SARS冠状病毒分子进化这几个方面对现有研究进展做一综述。     

核磁共振技术在蛋白质领域的应用

简要叙述了核磁共振技术(NMR)在蛋白质领域的研究及应用。NMR法通过测定蛋白质在稀溶液状态下反应位点的特定参数来计算蛋白质的三级结构,并可深入了解一定时间范围内化学反应和蛋白质构象转变的动力学过程。通过NMR对抗原决定簇和抗体CDR作图,可以分析其一级结构和三维构象;对抗原抗体动力学的分析,对于设计基因疫苗、检测细胞表面抗原提呈以及分析抗原抗体复合物的构象变化也有着重要意义。     

Proteomic analysis on structural proteins of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus

Recently, a new coronavirus was isolated from the lung tissue of autopsy sample and nasal/throat swabs of the patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the causative association with SARS was determined. To reveal further the characteristics of the virus and to provide insight about the molecular mechanism of SARS etiology, a proteomic strategy was utilized to identify the structural proteins of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) isolated from Vero E6 cells infected with the BJ-01 strain of the virus. At first, Western blotting with the convalescent sera from SARS patients demonstrated that there were various structural proteins of SARS-CoV in the cultured supernatant of virus infected-Vero E6 cells and that nucleocaspid (N) protein had a prominent immunogenicity to the convalescent sera from the patients with SARS, while the immune response of spike (S) protein probably binding with membrane (M) glycoprotein was much weaker. Then, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to separate the complex protein constituents, and the strategy of continuous slicing from loading well to the bottom of the gels was utilized to search thoroughly the structural proteins of the virus. The proteins in sliced slots were trypsinized in-gel and identified by mass spectrometry. Three structural proteins named S, N and M proteins of SARS-CoV were uncovered with the sequence coverage of 38.9, 93.1 and 28.1% respectively. Glycosylation modification in S protein was also analyzed and four glycosylation sites were discovered by comparing the mass spectra before and after deglycosylation of the peptides with PNGase F digestion. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry determination showed that relative molecular weight of intact N protein is 45 929 Da, which is very close to its theoretically calculated molecular weight 45 935 Da based on the amino acid sequence deduced from the genome with the first amino acid methionine at the N-terminus depleted and second, serine, acetylated, indicating that phosphorylation does not happen at all in the predicted phosphorylation sites within infected cells nor in virus particles. Intriguingly, a series of shorter isoforms of N protein was observed by SDS-PAGE and identified by mass spectrometry characterization. For further confirmation of this phenomenon and its related mechanism, recombinant N protein of SARS-CoV was cleaved in vitro by caspase-3 and -6 respectively. The results demonstrated that these shorter isoforms could be the products from cleavage of caspase-3 rather than that of caspase-6. Further, the relationship between the caspase cleavage and the viral infection to the host cell is discussed.     

A Ubiquitin-Binding Domain that Binds a Structural Fold Distinct from that of Ubiquitin

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Comparative Epidemiology of Human Infections with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronaviruses among Healthcare Personnel

The largest nosocomial outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) occurred in South Korea in 2015. Health Care Personnel (HCP) are at high risk of acquiring MERS-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections, similar to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infections first identified in 2003. This study described the similarities and differences in epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 183 confirmed global MERS cases and 98 SARS cases in Taiwan associated with HCP. The epidemiological findings showed that the mean age of MERS-HCP and total MERS cases were 40 (24~74) and 49 (2~90) years, respectively, much older than those in SARS [SARS-HCP: 35 (21~68) years, p = 0.006; total SARS: 42 (0~94) years, p = 0.0002]. The case fatality rates (CFR) was much lower in MERS-HCP [7.03% (9/128)] or SARS-HCP [12.24% (12/98)] than the MERS-non-HCP [36.96% (34/92), p<0.001] or SARS-non-HCP [24.50% (61/249), p<0.001], however, no difference was found between MERS-HCP and SARS-HCP [p = 0.181]. In terms of clinical period, the days from onset to death [13 (4~17) vs 14.5 (0~52), p = 0.045] and to discharge [11 (5~24) vs 24 (0~74), p = 0.010] and be hospitalized days [9.5 (3~22) vs 22 (0~69), p = 0.040] were much shorter in MERS-HCP than SARS-HCP. Similarly, days from onset to confirmation were shorter in MERS-HCP than MERS-non-HCP [6 (1~14) vs 10 (1~21), p = 0.044]. In conclusion, the severity of MERS-HCP and SARS-HCP was lower than that of MERS-non-HCP and SARS-non-HCP due to younger age and early confirmation in HCP groups. However, no statistical difference was found in MERS-HCP and SARS-HCP. Thus, prevention of nosocomial infections involving both novel Coronavirus is crucially important to protect HCP.     

SARS冠状病毒M蛋白的生物信息学研究

针对GenBank上发布的来自不同国家地区的39条SARSCoV推测M蛋白,采用生物信息学软件分析其核酸和氨基酸序列,获得其分子生物学特征,确定突变位点,预测功能结构区、Motif及抗原决定簇,比较基因突变对这些功能结构的影响.结果表明:在39个病毒株M蛋白的666 bp中,共有18个病毒株在7个位点上发生了25次变异.在M蛋白序列上预测获得3个跨膜螺旋序列和一个可能的信号肽序列.氨基酸序列的变异主要发生在其跨膜和胞外区域,胞内区域相对较少.预测发现12个Motif和7个抗原决定簇.提示突变对M蛋白的结构功能区的影响不大,也未造成M蛋白的Motif的数量和构成发生改变.对抗原决定簇的影响也主要体现在序列成分构成的改变上,在设计疫苗时,应考虑由其导致的抗原特性改变.