Identification of a linear B-cell epitope on the "puff" loop of the Senecavirus A VP2 protein involved in receptor binding.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is an important emerging swine pathogen that causes vesicular lesions in swine and acute death in newborn piglets. VP2 plays a significant role in the production of antibodies, which can be used in development of diagnostic tools and vaccines. Herein, the aim of the current study was to identify B-cell epitopes (BCEs) of SVA for generation of epitope-based SVA marker vaccine. Three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), named 2E4, 1B8, and 2C7, against the SVA VP2 protein were obtained, and two novel linear BCEs, 177SLGTYYR183 and 266SPYFNGL272, were identified by peptide scanning. The epitope 177SLGTYYR183 was recognized by the mAb 1B8 and was fully exposed on the VP2 surface, and alanine scanning analysis revealed that it contained a high continuity of key amino acids. Importantly, we confirmed that 177SLGTYYR183 locates on "the puff" region within the VP2 EF loop, and contains three key amino acid residues involved in receptor binding. Moreover, a single mutation, Y182A, blocked the interaction of the mutant virus with the mAb 1B8, indicating that this mutation is the pivotal point for antibody recognition. In summary, the BCEs that identified in this study could be used to develop diagnostic tools and an epitope-based SVA marker vaccine.

Minor envelope proteins from GP2a to GP4 contribute to the spread pattern and yield of type 2 PRRSV in MARC-145 cells.

In China, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccines are widely used. These vaccines, which contain inactivated and live attenuated vaccines (LAVs), are produced by MARC-145 cells derived from the monkey kidney cell line. However, some PRRSV strains in MARC-145 cells have a low yield. Here, we used two type 2 PRRSV strains (CH-1R and HuN4) to identify the genes responsible for virus yield in MARC-145 cells. Our findings indicate that the two viruses have different spread patterns, which ultimately determine their yield. By replacing the viral envelope genes with a reverse genetics system, we discovered that the minor envelope proteins, from GP2a to GP4, play a crucial role in determining the spread pattern and yield of type 2 PRRSV in MARC-145 cells. The cell-free transmission pattern of type 2 PRRSV appears to be more efficient than the cell-to-cell transmission pattern. Overall, these findings suggest that GP2a to GP4 contributes to the spread pattern and yield of type 2 PRRSV.

Pseudorabies virus gM and its homologous proteins in herpesviruses induce mitochondria-related apoptosis involved in viral pathogenicity.

Apoptosis is a critical host antiviral defense mechanism. But many viruses have evolved multiple strategies to manipulate apoptosis and escape host antiviral immune responses. Herpesvirus infection regulated apoptosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. Hence, the present study aimed to study the relationship between herpesvirus infection and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo using the pseudorabies virus (PRV) as the model virus. We found that mitochondria-dependent apoptosis was induced by PRV gM, a late protein encoded by PRV UL10, a virulence-related gene involved in enhancing PRV pathogenicity. Mechanistically, gM competitively combines with BCL-XL to disrupt the BCL-XL-BAK complex, resulting in BCL-2-antagonistic killer (BAK) oligomerization and BCL-2-associated X (BAX) activation, which destroys the mitochondrial membrane potential and activates caspase-3/7 to trigger apoptosis. Interestingly, similar apoptotic mechanisms were observed in other herpesviruses (Herpes Simplex Virus-1 [HSV-1], human cytomegalovirus [HCMV], Equine herpesvirus-1 [EHV-1], and varicella-zoster virus [VZV]) driven by PRV gM homologs. Compared with their parental viruses, the pathogenicity of PRV-ΔUL10 or HSV-1-ΔUL10 in mice was reduced with lower apoptosis and viral replication, illustrating that UL10 is a key virulence-related gene in PRV and HSV-1. Consistently, caspase-3 deletion also diminished the replication and pathogenicity of PRV and HSV-1 in vitro and in mice, suggesting that caspase-3-mediated apoptosis is closely related to the replication and pathogenicity of PRV and HSV-1. Overall, our findings firstly reveal the mechanism by which PRV gM and its homologs in several herpesviruses regulate apoptosis to enhance the viral replication and pathogenicity, and the relationship between gM-mediated apoptosis and herpesvirus pathogenicity suggests a promising approach for developing attenuated live vaccines and therapy for herpesvirus-related diseases.

Human MARCH1, 2, and 8 block Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein cleavage via targeting furin P domain.

Membrane-associated RING-CH (MARCH) family proteins were recently reported to inhibit viral replication through multiple modes. Previous work showed that human MARCH8 blocked Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) maturation. Our study here demonstrates that human MARCH1 and MARCH2 share a similar pattern to MARCH8 in restricting EBOV GP-pseudotyped viral infection. Human MARCH1 and MARCH2 retain EBOV GP at the trans-Golgi network, reduce its cell surface display, and impair EBOV GP-pseudotyped virions infectivity. Furthermore, we uncover that the host proprotein convertase furin could interact with human MARCH1/2 and EBOV GP intracellularly. Importantly, the furin P domain is verified to be recognized by MARCH1/2/8, which is critical for their blocking activities. Besides, bovine MARCH2 and murine MARCH1 also impair EBOV GP proteolytic processing. Altogether, our findings confirm that MARCH1/2 proteins of different mammalian origins showed a relatively conserved feature in blocking EBOV GP cleavage, which could provide clues for subsequent MARCHs antiviral studies and may facilitate the development of novel strategies to antagonize enveloped virus infection.

Prevalence and genetic evolution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in commercial fattening pig farms in China.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence and evolution of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) at commercial fattening pig farms, a total of 1397 clinical samples were collected from a single fattening cycle at seven pig farms in five provinces of China from 2020 to 2021. RESULTS: The RT‒PCR results revealed that PRRSV was present on all seven farms, and the percentage of PRRSV-positive individuals was 17.54-53.33%. A total of 344 partial NSP2 gene sequences and 334 complete ORF5 gene sequences were obtained from the positive samples. The statistical results showed that PRRSV-2 was present on all seven commercial fattening farms, and PRRSV-1 was present on only one commercial fattening farm. A total of six PRRSV-2 subtypes were detected, and five of the seven farms had two or more PRRSV-2 subtypes. L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV was the dominant epidemic strain on five of the seven pig farms. Sequence analysis of L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV from different commercial fattening pig farms revealed that its consistency across farms varied substantially. The amino acid alignment results demonstrated that there were 131 aa discontinuous deletions in NSP2 between different L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV strains and that the GP5 mutation in L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV was mainly concentrated in the peptide signal region and T-cell epitopes. Selection pressure analysis of GP5 revealed that the use of the PRRSV MLV vaccine had no significant episodic diversifying effect on L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV. CONCLUSION: PRRSV infection is common at commercial fattening pig farms in China, and the percentage of positive individuals is high. There are multiple PRRSV subtypes of infection at commercial fattening pig farms in China. L1.8 (L1C) is the main circulating PRRSV strain on commercial fattening pig farms. L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV detected at different commercial fattening pig farms exhibited substantial differences in consistency but similar molecular characteristics. The pressure on the GP5 of L1.8 (L1C) PRRSV may not be directly related to the use of the vaccines.

Novel technologies are turning a dream into reality: conditionally replicating viruses as vaccines.

Conditionally replicating viruses (CRVs) are a type of virus with one or more essential gene functions that are impaired resulting in the disruption of viral genome replication, protein synthesis, or virus particle assembly. CRVs can replicate only if the deficient essential genes are supplied. CRVs are widely used in biomedical research, particularly as vaccines. Traditionally, CRVs are generated by creating complementary cell lines that provide the impaired genes. With the development of biotechnology, novel techniques have been invented to generate CRVs, such as targeted protein degradation (TPD) technologies and premature termination codon (PTC) read-through technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of these novel technologies are discussed. Finally, we provide perspectives on what challenges need to be overcome for CRVs to reach the market.

Protective efficacy of a candidate live attenuated vaccine derived from the SD-R strain of lineage 1 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus against a lethal challenge with HP-PRRSV HuN4 in piglets.

IMPORTANCE: Both highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) and NADC30-like PRRSV have caused tremendous economic losses to the Chinese pig industry. In this study, a good challenge model was established to evaluate the protection afforded by the candidate SD-R vaccine against infection with a representative HP-PRRSV strain (HuN4). The control piglets in the challenge experiment displayed obvious clinical symptoms of PRRSV infection, with a mortality rate up to 40%. In contrast, all the piglets in the vaccinated challenged group survived, and only some pigs had transient fever. The daily gain of SD-R immunized group piglets was significantly increased, and the pathological changes were significantly reduced. In addition, the viral replication levels in the serum of the immunized group were significantly lower than those of the challenged control group. The live attenuated vaccine SD-R strain can provide protection against HP-PRRSV challenge, indicating that the SD-R strain is a promising vaccine candidate for use in the swine industry.

The emerging roles of MARCH8 in viral infections: A double-edged Sword.

The host cell membrane-associated RING-CH 8 protein (MARCH8), a member of the E3 ubiquitin ligase family, regulates intracellular turnover of many transmembrane proteins and shows potent antiviral activities. Generally, 2 antiviral modes are performed by MARCH8. On the one hand, MARCH8 catalyzes viral envelope glycoproteins (VEGs) ubiquitination and thus leads to their intracellular degradation, which is the cytoplasmic tail (CT)-dependent (CTD) mode. On the other hand, MARCH8 traps VEGs at some intracellular compartments (such as the trans-Golgi network, TGN) but without inducing their degradation, which is the cytoplasmic tail-independent (CTI) mode, by which MARCH8 hijacks furin, a cellular proprotein convertase, to block VEGs cleavage. In addition, the MARCH8 C-terminal tyrosine-based motif (TBM) 222YxxL225 also plays a key role in its CTI antiviral effects. In contrast to its antiviral potency, MARCH8 is occasionally hijacked by some viruses and bacteria to enhance their invasion, indicating a duplex role of MARCH8 in host pathogenic infections. This review summarizes MARCH8's antiviral roles and how viruses evade its restriction, shedding light on novel antiviral therapeutic avenues.

Protective Efficacy of a Candidate Live-Attenuated Vaccine Derived from the SD-R Strain against NADC34-like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus.

NADC34-like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strains were first detected in China in 2017 and became major circulating strains in 2021. Our previous study showed that the live-attenuated vaccine candidate SD-R strain could provide broad cross-protection against different NADC30-like PRRSVs (sublineage 1.8). However, the protective effect of SD-R against NADC34-like PRRSV is unclear. Here, a novel NADC34-like PRRSV, LNTZJ1341-2012, was isolated from a pig farm experiencing disease in 2020. Sequence analysis revealed that LNTZJ1341-2012 belonged to PRRSV-2 sublineage 1.5, exhibited the same Nsp2 amino-acid deletion characteristics as IA/2014/NADC34, and had not recombined with other strains. Additionally, a good challenge model was established to evaluate the protection afforded by the candidate SD-R vaccine against infection with a representative NADC34-like strain (LNTZJ1341-2012). The control piglets in the challenge experiment displayed clinical signs typical of PRRSV infection, including transient fever, high viremia, mild clinical symptoms, and histopathological changes in the lungs and submaxillary lymph nodes. In contrast, SD-R vaccination significantly reduced serum and lung tissue viral loads, and vaccinated piglets did not show any clinical symptoms or histopathological changes. Our results demonstrated that LNTZJ1341-2012 is a mildly virulent NADC34-like PRRSV and that the live-attenuated vaccine SD-R can prevent the onset of clinical signs upon challenge with the NADC34-like PRRSV LNTZJ1341-2012 strain, indicating that SD-R is a promising vaccine candidate for the swine industry.

Corrigendum: The critical role of PARPs in regulating innate immune responses.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.712556.].

Genome editing of pseudorabies virus in the CRISPR/Cas9 era: a mini-review.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an important swine virus that has a significant impact on the global swine industry. PRV is a member of the herpesvirus family, specifically the alphaherpesvirus subfamily, and has been extensively utilized as a prototype herpesvirus. Notably, recent studies have reported that PRV sporadically spills over into humans. The PRV genome is approximately 150 kb in size and is difficult to manipulate at the genomic level. The development of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas9) technology has revolutionized PRV genome editing. CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used in the construction of reporter viruses, knock-out/knock-in of genes of interest, single virus tracking and antiviral strategies. Most importantly, for vaccine development, virulence gene knockout PRV vaccine candidates can be obtained within 2 weeks using CRISPR/Cas9. In this mini-review, we provide a concise overview of the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in PRV research and mainly share our experience with methods for efficiently editing the PRV genome. Through this review, we hope to give researchers better insight into the genome editing of pseudorabies virus.

Streptococcus suis contributes to inguinal lymph node lesions in piglets after highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection.

The swine pathogens porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Streptococcus suis have both been reported to cause damage to the immune organs. Inguinal lymph node (ILN) injury has been reported in PRRSV-infected pigs with secondary S. suis infection, but not much is known about the mechanism. In this study, secondary S. suis infection after highly pathogenic (HP)-PRRSV infection caused more severe clinical symptoms, mortality, and ILN lesions. Histopathological lesions were seen in ILNs with a marked decrease in lymphocyte numbers. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated de-oxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assays revealed that HP-PRRSV strain HuN4 alone induced ILN apoptosis, but dual-infection with S. suis strain BM0806 induced greater levels of apoptosis. Besides, we found that some HP-PRRSV-infected cells underwent apoptosis. Furthermore, anti-caspase-3 antibody staining confirmed that ILN apoptosis was mainly induced by a caspase-dependent pathway. Pyroptosis was also observed in HP-PRRSV-infected cells, and there was more pyroptosis in piglets infected with HP-PRRSV alone compared with those with secondary S. suis infection, and HP-PRRSV-infected cells underwent pyroptosis. Altogether, this is the first report to identify pyroptosis in ILNs and which signaling pathway is related to ILN apoptosis in single or dual-infected piglets. These results contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms during secondary S. suis infection.

Chicken or Porcine Aminopeptidase N Mediates Cellular Entry of Pseudoviruses Carrying Spike Glycoprotein from the Avian Deltacoronaviruses HKU11, HKU13, and HKU17.

Members of deltacoronavirus (DCoV) have mostly been identified in diverse avian species as natural reservoirs, though the porcine DCoV (PDCoV) is a major swine enteropathogenic virus with global spread. The important role of aminopeptidase N (APN) orthologues from various mammalian and avian species in PDCoV cellular entry and interspecies transmission has been revealed recently. In this study, comparative analysis indicated that three avian DCoVs, bulbul DCoV HKU11, munia DCoV HKU13, and sparrow DCoV HKU17 (Chinese strain), and PDCoV in the subgenera Buldecovirus are grouped together at whole-genome levels; however, the spike (S) glycoprotein and its S1 subunit of HKU17 are more closely related to night heron DCoV HKU19 in Herdecovirus. Nevertheless, the S1 protein of HKU11, HKU13, or HKU17 bound to or interacted with chicken APN (chAPN) or porcine APN (pAPN) by flow cytometry analysis of cell surface expression of APN and by coimmunoprecipitation in APN-overexpressing cells. Expression of chAPN or pAPN allowed entry of pseudotyped lentiviruses with the S proteins from HKU11, HKU13 and HKU17 into nonsusceptible cells and natural avian and porcine cells, which could be inhibited by the antibody against APN or anti-PDCoV-S1. APN knockdown by siRNA or knockout by CRISPR/Cas9 in chicken or swine cell lines significantly or almost completely blocked infection of these pseudoviruses. Hence, we demonstrate that HKU11, HKU13, and HKU17 with divergent S genes likely engage chAPN or pAPN to enter the cells, suggesting a potential interspecies transmission from wild birds to poultry and from birds to mammals by certain avian DCoVs. IMPORTANCE The receptor usage of avian deltacoronaviruses (DCoVs) has not been investigated thus far, though porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) has been shown to utilize aminopeptidase N (APN) as a cell receptor. We report here that chicken or porcine APN also mediates cellular entry by three avian DCoV (HKU11, HKU13, and HKU17) spike pseudoviruses, and the S1 subunit of three avian DCoVs binds to APN in vitro and in the surface of avian and porcine cells. The results fill the gaps in knowledge about the avian DCoV receptor and elucidate important insights for the monitoring and prevention of potential interspecies transmission of certain avian DCoVs. In view of the diversity of DCoVs, whether this coronavirus genus will cause novel virus to emerge in other mammals from birds, are worthy of further surveillance and investigation.

Interaction between Porcine Alveolar Macrophage-Tang Cells and Streptococcus suis Strains of Different Virulence: Phagocytosis and Apoptosis

Streptococcus suis is an important swine bacterial pathogen that activates macrophages to secrete inflammatory cytokines. Primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are inconvenient to obtain, but it is unknown whether immortalized PAM-Tang cells can replace them as a better cell model for the study of the interaction between S. suis and macrophages. In this study, the phagocytic integrity, polarization, and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion of PAM-Tang cells were confirmed by live-cell imaging, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and ELISA. Interestingly, the S. suis serotype 9 avirulent strain W7119 induced higher levels of adhesion and pro-inflammatory cytokines in PAM-Tang cells than the S. suis serotype 2 virulent strain 700794. Prolonged incubation with S. suis caused more cytotoxic cell damage, and the virulent strain induced higher levels of cytotoxicity to PAM-Tang cells. The virulent strain also induced higher levels of apoptosis in PAM-Tang cells, as shown by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. In addition, it is the first report of virulent and avirulent S. suis inducing PAM-Tang polarization towards pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and p53- and caspase-dependent apoptosis in PAMs. Taken together, this study contributes to a better understand of interactions between macrophages and S. suis isolates of different virulence, and confirms that PAM-Tang cells provide a long-term, renewable resource for investigating macrophage infections with bacteria.

A novel viral vaccine platform based on engineered transfer RNA.

In recent years, an increasing number of emerging and remerging virus outbreaks have occurred and the rapid development of vaccines against these viruses has been crucial. Controlling the replication of premature termination codon (PTC)-containing viruses is a promising approach to generate live but replication-defective viruses that can be used for potent vaccines. Here, we used anticodon-engineered transfer RNAs (ACE-tRNAs) as powerful precision switches to control the replication of PTC-containing viruses. We showed that ACE-tRNAs display higher potency of reading through PTCs than genetic code expansion (GCE) technology. Interestingly, ACE-tRNA has a site preference that may influence its read-through efficacy. We further attempted to use ACE-tRNAs as a novel viral vaccine platform. Using a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pseudotyped virus as an RNA virus model, we found that ACE-tRNAs display high potency for read-through viral PTCs and precisely control their production. Pseudorabies virus (PRV), a herpesvirus, was used as a DNA virus model. We found that ACE-tRNAs display high potency for reading through viral PTCs and precisely controlling PTC-containing virus replication. In addition, PTC-engineered PRV completely attenuated and lost virulence in mice in vivo, and immunization with PRV containing a PTC elicited a robust immune response and provided complete protection against wild-type PRV challenge. Overall, replication-controllable PTC-containing viruses based on ACE-tRNAs provide a new strategy to rapidly attenuate virus infection and prime robust immune responses. This technology can be used as a platform for rapidly developing viral vaccines in the future.

When ferroptosis meets pathogenic infections.

Apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagy are diverse types of regulated cell death (RCD), recognized as the strategies that host cells use to defend against pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Pathogens can induce or block different types of host cell RCD, promoting propagation or evading host immune surveillance. Ferroptosis is a newly identified RCD. Evidence has demonstrated how pathogens regulate ferroptosis to promote their replication, dissemination, and pathogenesis. However, the interaction between ferroptosis and pathogenic infections still needs to be completely elucidated. This review summarizes the advances in the interaction between pathogenic infections and host ferroptotic processes, focusing on the underlying mechanisms of how pathogens exploit ferroptosis, and discussing possible therapeutic measures against pathogen-associated diseases in a ferroptosis-dependent manner.

Epidemiological investigation and genetic evolutionary analysis of PRRSV-1 on a pig farm in China.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has brought serious economic losses to pig industry. PRRSV-1 have existed in China for more than 25 years. The prevalence and features of PRRSV-1 on Chinese farms are unclear. We continuously monitored PRRSV in a pig farm with strict biosafety measures in Henan Province, China, in 2020. The results showed that multiple types of PRRSV coexisted on this single pig farm. PRRSV-1 was one of the main circulating strains on the farm and was responsible for infections throughout nearly the entire epidemic cycle. Phylogenetic analysis showed that PRRSV-1 isolates from this pig farm formed an independent branch, with all isolates belonging to BJEU06-1-like PRRSV. The analysis of selection pressure on ORF5 on this branch identified 5 amino acids as positive selection sites, indicating that PRRSV-1 had undergone adaptive evolution on this farm. According to the analysis of ORF5 of PRRSV-1 on this farm, the evolutionary rate of the BJEU06-1-like branch was estimated to be 1.01 × 10-2 substitutions/site/year. To further understand the genome-wide characteristics of PRRSV-1 on this pig farm, two full-length PRRSV-1 genomes representative of pig farms were obtained. The results of amino acid alignment revealed that although one NSP2 deletion was consistent with BJEU06-1, different new features were found in ORF3 and ORF4. According to the above results, PRRSV-1 has undergone considerable evolution in China. This study is the first to report the prevalence and characteristics of PRRSV-1 on a large farm in mainland China, which will provide a reference for the identification and further prevention and control of PRRSV-1.

Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Infection Induces Splenomegaly with Splenocyte Apoptosis.

Little is known about the damage to the important peripheral immune organ spleen caused by Streptococcus suis infection. In this study, we found that S. suis induced splenomegaly and lymphocyte disruption in spleens of mice. To explore the mechanism of splenic lesions induced by S. suis, we conducted further studies. The results showed that S. suis induced apoptosis in B cells, which is related to the cleavage of caspase-3 and caspase-8, but not the release of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Thus, S. suis induced apoptosis in the spleen through caspase-dependent and AIF-independent pathways. Inflammation lesions induced in the spleen of infected mice were also investigated; we found macrophages increased in histopathological lesions of infected spleens from 12 h postinoculation to 7 days postinoculation (dpi), and the type of increased macrophages was M1 type by confocal microscopy, which can secrete proinflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, inflammasome NLRP3 and caspase-1 were activated, and gasdermin D (GSDMD) was cleaved, which causes pyroptosis that may result in the release of numerous proinflammatory cytokines. What's more, the increase of p-JNK and p-p38 indicated that the MAPK pathway was also involved in the proinflammatory responses during S. suis infection, whereas anti-inflammatory responses in spleen were suppressed, with regulatory T cells (Tregs) upregulating at 1 dpi. Taken together, proinflammatory immune responses dominate in early infection, which induce splenomegaly and splenocyte apoptosis. This is the first report of mechanisms associated with S. suis-induced splenic lesions. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is considered an emerging pathogen and represents a threat to humans and animals. The spleen is an important peripheral immune organ, and splenomegaly is a consequence of lesions and an important clinical indicator of S. suis infection. However, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying spleen lesions is still very limited. In the present work, we made the investigation to explain the phenomenon and the related immunomodulation in a mouse infection model. The obtained results show that inflammation contributes to splenomegaly, while apoptosis contributes to lymphocyte disruption in spleens. Related signaling pathways were discovered which have never been associated with S. suis-induced splenic injury. The new knowledge generated will help us better understand the mechanism of S. suis pathogenesis.

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks macropinocytosis to facilitate its entry and promote viral spike-mediated cell-to-cell fusion.

Revealing the mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry and cell-to-cell spread might provide insights for understanding the underlying mechanisms of viral pathogenesis, tropism, and virulence. The signaling pathways involved in SARS-CoV-2 entry and viral spike-mediated cell-to-cell fusion remain elusive. In the current study, we found that macropinocytosis inhibitors significantly suppressed SARS-CoV-2 infection at both the entry and viral spike-mediated cell-to-cell fusion steps. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 entry required the small GTPase Rac1 and its effector kinase p21-activated kinase 1 by dominant-negative and RNAi assays in human embryonic kidney 293T-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 cells and that the serine protease transmembrane serine protease 2 reversed the decrease in SARS-CoV-2 entry caused by the macropinocytosis inhibitors. Moreover, in the cell-to-cell fusion assay, we confirmed that macropinocytosis inhibitors significantly decreased viral spike-mediated cell-to-cell fusion. Overall, we provided evidence that SARS-CoV-2 utilizes a macropinocytosis pathway to enter target cells and to efficiently promote viral spike-mediated cell-to-cell fusion.