SARS-CoV-2 Entry Can Be Mimicked in <i>C. elegans</i> Expressing Human ACE2: A New Tool for Pharmacological Studies.

ABSTRACT: Testing medical countermeasures for SARS-CoV-2 transmission using vertebrates can be hindered by legislation regulating animal experimentation, high costs, and ethical concerns. To overcome these challenges, we propose a new Caenorhabditis elegans strain that constitutively expresses the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2). This resulted in significant impairment of reproduction and a defect in pharyngeal function compared to wild-type (WT) worms. SARS-CoV-2 infection was simulated by treating worms with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, which caused dose-dependent and time-dependent pharyngeal impairment in ACE2 worms but not in WT worms. The toxicity of RBD was prevented by administering an anti-human ACE2 antibody, demonstrating that intera

SUBMITTER: Romeo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12567688 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature