MRNA induced expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in mice for the study of the adaptive immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

ABSTRACT: The novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic. Critical to the rapid evaluation of vaccines and antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 is the development of tractable animal models to understand the adaptive immune response to the virus. To this end, the use of common laboratory strains of mice is hindered by significant divergence of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the receptor required for entry of SARS-CoV-2. In the current study, we designed and utilized an mRNA-based transfection system to induce expression of the hACE2 receptor in order to confer entry of SARS-CoV-2 in otherwise non-permissive cells. By employing this expression system in an in vivo setting, we were able to interrogate the adaptive immune r

SUBMITTER: Hassert M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7773324 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature