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Early innate immune response and evolution of a SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site inactive variant in bat cells

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 has caused the largest known coronavirus pandemic and is believed to have emerged from insectivorous bats. Little is known about the evolution of these viruses in their reservoir bat species. In this study, we investigated SARS-CoV-2-host interaction using human and bat cells. Bat cells mount a robust and early antiviral response but elicit a dampened pro-inflammatory response upon SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to human cells. Furthermore, an inactivating R685P mutation within the furin cleavage site (FCS) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was naturally selected for in infected bat cells. Taken together, our data demonstrate that insectivorous bat cells have evolved a differential antiviral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection, likely to mitigate immunopathology that is observed in humans. Our study sheds light on the evolution of sarbecoviruses in bats and extends molecular evidence to data from field studies that have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2-related viruses in wild-caught bats lack an intact FCS.

ORGANISM(S): Eptesicus fuscus Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE285756 | GEO | 2025/06/04

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Bats are the most important natural reservoirs for a variety of emerging viruses that cause several illnesses in humans and other mammals. Increased viral shedding by bats is thought to be linked to an increased ability of many bat species to tolerate viral infection. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, is thought to have originated in bats, since viruses with high sequence similarity have been detected in bat feces. However, there is no robust in vitro model for assessing the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the bat GI tract. Here, we established gastrointestinal organoid cultures from Jamaican fruit bats (JFB, Artibeus jamaicensis), which replicated the characteristic morphology of the gastrointestinal epithelium and showed tissue specific gene expression patterns and cell differentiation. To analyze whether JFB intestinal epithelial cells are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, we performed in vitro infection experiments. Increased SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in both cell lysates and supernatants from the infected organoids after 48 h, and sgRNA also was detected, indicating that the JFB intestinal epithelium supports limited viral replication. However, no infectious virus was released into the culture media, and no cytopathic effects were observed. Gene expression studies revealed a significant induction of type I interferon and inflammatory cytokine genes in response to active SARS-CoV-2 virus but not to TLR agonist treatment. Untargeted analysis of the organoid proteome using data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) revealed a significant increase in proteins and pathways associated with inflammatory signaling, cell turnover and repair, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Collectively, our data suggest that primary intestinal epithelial cells from JFBs are largely resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection and cell damage, likely because they are able to mount a strong antiviral interferon and regenerative response upon infection.

Project description:Despite the wide availability of several safe and effective vaccines that can prevent severe COVID-19 disease, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) that can partially evade vaccine immunity remains a global health concern. In addition, the emergence of highly mutated and neutralization-resistant SARS-CoV-2 VOCs such as BA.1 and BA.5 that can partially or fully evade (1) many therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in clinical use underlines the need for additional effective treatment strategies. Here, we characterize the antiviral activity of GS-5245, Obeldesivir (ODV), an oral prodrug of the parent nucleoside GS-441524, which targets the highly conserved RNA-dependent viral RNA polymerase (RdRp). Importantly, we show that GS-5245 is broadly potent in vitro against alphacoronavirus HCoV-NL63, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-related Bat-CoV RsSHC014, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2 WA/1, and the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 Omicron variant in vitro and highly effective as antiviral therapy in mouse models of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 (WA/1), MERS-CoV and Bat-CoV RsSHC014 pathogenesis. In all these models of divergent coronaviruses, we observed protection and/or significant reduction of disease metrics such as weight loss, lung viral replication, acute lung injury, and degradation in pulmonary function in GS-5245-treated mice compared to vehicle controls. Finally, we demonstrate that GS-5245 in combination with the main protease (Mpro) inhibitor nirmatrelvir had increased efficacy in vivo against SARS-CoV-2 compared to each single agent. We also evalulate the effect of antiviral therapy on host gene expression using RNAseq and show that therapeutic intervention reduces host inflammatory response as compared to vehicle controls during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Altogether, our data supports the continuing clinical evaluation of GS-5245 in humans infected with COVID-19, including as part of a combination antiviral therapy, especially in populations with the most urgent need for more efficacious and durable interventions.

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Early innate immune response and evolution of a SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site inactive variant in bat cells

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