RESUMO
The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the recently emerged ß-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 has had a catastrophic impact, resulting in nearly 7 million fatalities worldwide to date. The innate immune system is the first line of defense against infections, including the detection and response to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we discuss the innate immune mechanisms that sense coronaviruses, with a focus on SARS-CoV-2 infection and how these protective responses can become detrimental in severe cases of COVID-19, contributing to cytokine storm, inflammation, long-COVID, and other complications. We also highlight the complex cross talk among cytokines and the cellular components of the innate immune system, which can aid in viral clearance but also contribute to inflammatory cell death, cytokine storm, and organ damage in severe COVID-19 pathogenesis. Furthermore, we discuss how SARS-CoV-2 evades key protective innate immune mechanisms to enhance its virulence and pathogenicity, as well as how innate immunity can be therapeutically targeted as part of the vaccination and treatment strategy. Overall, we highlight how a comprehensive understanding of innate immune mechanisms has been crucial in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infections and the development of novel host-directed immunotherapeutic strategies for various diseases.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Imunidade Inata , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , COVID-19/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/fisiologia , Síndrome da Liberação de Citocina/imunologia , Citocinas/metabolismo , Animais , Infecções por Coronavirus/imunologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/virologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/prevenção & controle , Evasão da Resposta ImuneRESUMO
The ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently affecting millions of lives worldwide. Large retrospective studies indicate that an elevated level of inflammatory cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors are associated with both increased disease severity and mortality. Here, using multidimensional epigenetic, transcriptional, in vitro, and in vivo analyses, we report that topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) inhibition suppresses lethal inflammation induced by SARS-CoV-2. Therapeutic treatment with two doses of topotecan (TPT), an FDA-approved TOP1 inhibitor, suppresses infection-induced inflammation in hamsters. TPT treatment as late as 4 days post-infection reduces morbidity and rescues mortality in a transgenic mouse model. These results support the potential of TOP1 inhibition as an effective host-directed therapy against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. TPT and its derivatives are inexpensive clinical-grade inhibitors available in most countries. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of repurposing TOP1 inhibitors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans.
Assuntos
Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19 , DNA Topoisomerases Tipo I/metabolismo , SARS-CoV-2/metabolismo , Inibidores da Topoisomerase I/farmacologia , Topotecan/farmacologia , Animais , COVID-19/enzimologia , COVID-19/patologia , Chlorocebus aethiops , Humanos , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Inflamação/enzimologia , Inflamação/patologia , Inflamação/virologia , Mesocricetus , Camundongos , Camundongos Transgênicos , Células THP-1 , Células VeroRESUMO
COVID-19 is characterized by excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute lung damage associated with patient mortality. While multiple inflammatory cytokines are produced by innate immune cells during SARS-CoV-2 infection, we found that only the combination of TNF-α and IFN-γ induced inflammatory cell death characterized by inflammatory cell death, PANoptosis. Mechanistically, TNF-α and IFN-γ co-treatment activated the JAK/STAT1/IRF1 axis, inducing nitric oxide production and driving caspase-8/FADD-mediated PANoptosis. TNF-α and IFN-γ caused a lethal cytokine shock in mice that mirrors the tissue damage and inflammation of COVID-19, and inhibiting PANoptosis protected mice from this pathology and death. Furthermore, treating with neutralizing antibodies against TNF-α and IFN-γ protected mice from mortality during SARS-CoV-2 infection, sepsis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and cytokine shock. Collectively, our findings suggest that blocking the cytokine-mediated inflammatory cell death signaling pathway identified here may benefit patients with COVID-19 or other infectious and autoinflammatory diseases by limiting tissue damage/inflammation.
Assuntos
COVID-19/imunologia , COVID-19/patologia , Síndrome da Liberação de Citocina/imunologia , Síndrome da Liberação de Citocina/patologia , Interferon gama/imunologia , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologia , Animais , Anticorpos Neutralizantes/administração & dosagem , Morte Celular , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Feminino , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana , Humanos , Inflamação/imunologia , Inflamação/patologia , Linfo-Histiocitose Hemofagocítica/induzido quimicamente , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Transgênicos , Células THP-1RESUMO
A dysfunctional immune response in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is a recurrent theme impacting symptoms and mortality, yet a detailed understanding of pertinent immune cells is not complete. We applied single-cell RNA sequencing to 284 samples from 196 COVID-19 patients and controls and created a comprehensive immune landscape with 1.46 million cells. The large dataset enabled us to identify that different peripheral immune subtype changes are associated with distinct clinical features, including age, sex, severity, and disease stages of COVID-19. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA was found in diverse epithelial and immune cell types, accompanied by dramatic transcriptomic changes within virus-positive cells. Systemic upregulation of S100A8/A9, mainly by megakaryocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood, may contribute to the cytokine storms frequently observed in severe patients. Our data provide a rich resource for understanding the pathogenesis of and developing effective therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.
Assuntos
COVID-19/imunologia , Megacariócitos/imunologia , Monócitos/imunologia , RNA Viral , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Criança , China , Estudos de Coortes , Citocinas/metabolismo , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , RNA Viral/sangue , RNA Viral/isolamento & purificação , Análise de Célula Única , Transcriptoma/imunologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Super-resolution optical imaging based on the switching and localization of individual fluorescent molecules [photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), etc.] has evolved remarkably over the last decade. Originally driven by pushing technological limits, it has become a tool of biological discovery. The initial demand for impressive pictures showing well-studied biological structures has been replaced by a need for quantitative, reliable data providing dependable evidence for specific unresolved biological hypotheses. In this review, we highlight applications that showcase this development, identify the features that led to their success, and discuss remaining challenges and difficulties. In this context, we consider the complex topic of defining resolution for this imaging modality and address some of the more common analytical methods used with this data.
Assuntos
Imagem Individual de Molécula/métodos , Algoritmos , Animais , Análise por Conglomerados , Análise de Fourier , Humanos , Imageamento Tridimensional , Modelos Biológicos , Estrutura Molecular , Nanotecnologia , Imagem Individual de Molécula/estatística & dados numéricos , Processos EstocásticosRESUMO
Activated CD8+ T lymphocytes differentiate into heterogeneous subsets. Using super-resolution imaging, we found that prior to the first division, dynein-dependent vesicular transport polarized active TORC1 toward the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) at the proximal pole. This active TORC1 was physically associated with active eIF4F, required for the translation of c-myc mRNA. As a consequence, c-myc-translating polysomes polarized toward the cellular pole proximal to the immune synapse, resulting in localized c-myc translation. Upon division, the TORC1-eIF4A complex preferentially sorted to the proximal daughter cell, facilitating asymmetric c-Myc synthesis. Transient disruption of eIF4A activity at first division skewed long-term cell fate trajectories to memory-like function. Using a genetic barcoding approach, we found that first-division sister cells often displayed differences in transcriptional profiles that largely correlated with c-Myc and TORC1 target genes. Our findings provide mechanistic insights as to how distinct T cell fate trajectories can be established during the first division.
Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos , Fator de Iniciação 4F em Eucariotos , Diferenciação Celular , Ativação Linfocitária , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina/genéticaRESUMO
The chromatin fiber folds into loops, but the mechanisms controlling loop extrusion are still poorly understood. Using super-resolution microscopy, we visualize that loops in intact nuclei are formed by a scaffold of cohesin complexes from which the DNA protrudes. RNA polymerase II decorates the top of the loops and is physically segregated from cohesin. Augmented looping upon increased loading of cohesin on chromosomes causes disruption of Lamin at the nuclear rim and chromatin blending, a homogeneous distribution of chromatin within the nucleus. Altering supercoiling via either transcription or topoisomerase inhibition counteracts chromatin blending, increases chromatin condensation, disrupts loop formation, and leads to altered cohesin distribution and mobility on chromatin. Overall, negative supercoiling generated by transcription is an important regulator of loop formation in vivo.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Cromatina/química , Cromatina/genética , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona/metabolismo , Transcrição Gênica/fisiologia , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/química , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Linhagem Celular , Núcleo Celular/genética , Proteoglicanas de Sulfatos de Condroitina/genética , Proteoglicanas de Sulfatos de Condroitina/metabolismo , Cromatina/metabolismo , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona/química , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona/genética , DNA Topoisomerases Tipo I/genética , DNA Topoisomerases Tipo I/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Feminino , Humanos , Laminas/genética , Laminas/metabolismo , RNA Polimerase II/metabolismo , Imagem Individual de Molécula/métodos , CoesinasRESUMO
The prion-like spread of protein aggregates is a leading hypothesis for the propagation of neurofibrillary lesions in the brain, including the spread of tau inclusions associated with Alzheimer's disease. The mechanisms of cellular uptake of tau seeds and subsequent nucleated polymerization of cytosolic tau are major questions in the field, and the potential for coupling between the entry and nucleation mechanisms has been little explored. We found that in primary astrocytes and neurons, endocytosis of tau seeds leads to their accumulation in lysosomes. This in turn leads to lysosomal swelling, deacidification, and recruitment of ESCRT proteins, but not Galectin-3, to the lysosomal membrane. These observations are consistent with nanoscale damage of the lysosomal membrane. Live cell imaging and STORM superresolution microscopy further show that the nucleation of cytosolic tau occurs primarily at the lysosome membrane under these conditions. These data suggest that tau seeds escape from lysosomes via nanoscale damage rather than wholesale rupture and that nucleation of cytosolic tau commences as soon as tau fibril ends emerge from the lysosomal membrane.
Assuntos
Citosol , Lisossomos , Proteínas tau , Proteínas tau/metabolismo , Lisossomos/metabolismo , Citosol/metabolismo , Animais , Astrócitos/metabolismo , Astrócitos/patologia , Neurônios/metabolismo , Neurônios/patologia , Humanos , Membranas Intracelulares/metabolismo , Endocitose , Camundongos , Células CultivadasRESUMO
The debate on the sign of the soil moisture-precipitation feedback remains open. On the one hand, studies using global coarse-resolution climate models have found strong positive feedback. However, such models cannot represent convection explicitly. On the other hand, studies using km-scale regional climate models and explicit convection have reported negative feedback. Yet, the large-scale circulation is prescribed in such models. This study revisits the soil moisture-precipitation feedback using global, coupled simulations conducted for 1 y with explicit convection and compares the results to coarse-resolution simulations with parameterized convection. We find significant differences in a majority of points with feedback that is weaker and dominantly negative with explicit convection. The model with explicit convection is more often in a wet regime and prefers the triggering of convection over dry soil in the presence of soil moisture heterogeneity, in contrast to the coarse-resolution model. Further analysis indicates that the feedback not only between soil moisture and evapotranspiration but also between evapotranspiration and precipitation is weaker, in better agreement with observations. Our findings suggest that coarse-resolution models may not be well suited to study aspects of climate change over land such as changes in droughts and heatwaves.
RESUMO
Recent evidence has demonstrated that the transsynaptic nanoscale organization of synaptic proteins plays a crucial role in regulating synaptic strength in excitatory synapses. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this transsynaptic nanostructure in inhibitory synapses still remains unclear and its impact on synapse function in physiological or pathological contexts has not been demonstrated. In this study, we utilized an engineered proteolysis technique to investigate the effects of acute cleavage of neuroligin-2 (NL2) on synaptic transmission. Our results show that the rapid cleavage of NL2 led to impaired synaptic transmission by reducing both neurotransmitter release probability and quantum size. These changes were attributed to the dispersion of RIM1/2 and GABAA receptors and a weakened spatial alignment between them at the subsynaptic scale, as observed through superresolution imaging and model simulations. Importantly, we found that endogenous NL2 undergoes rapid MMP9-dependent cleavage during epileptic activities, which further exacerbates the decrease in inhibitory transmission. Overall, our study demonstrates the significant impact of nanoscale structural reorganization on inhibitory transmission and unveils ongoing modulation of mature GABAergic synapses through active cleavage of NL2 in response to hyperactivity.
Assuntos
Moléculas de Adesão Celular Neuronais , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso , Sinapses , Transmissão Sináptica , Animais , Camundongos , Moléculas de Adesão Celular Neuronais/metabolismo , Epilepsia/metabolismo , Epilepsia/fisiopatologia , Epilepsia/patologia , Hipocampo/metabolismo , Metaloproteinase 9 da Matriz/metabolismo , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismo , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Proteólise , Receptores de GABA-A/metabolismo , Sinapses/metabolismo , Transmissão Sináptica/fisiologiaRESUMO
Inflammation is a multifactorial process and various biological mechanisms and pathways participate in its development. The presence of inflammation is involved in pathogenesis of different diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and even, cancer. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) comprise large part of transcribed genome and their critical function in physiological and pathological conditions has been confirmed. The present review focuses on miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs as ncRNAs and their potential functions in inflammation regulation and resolution. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors are regulated by miRNAs via binding to 3'-UTR or indirectly via affecting other pathways such as SIRT1 and NF-κB. LncRNAs display a similar function and they can also affect miRNAs via sponging in regulating levels of cytokines. CircRNAs mainly affect miRNAs and reduce their expression in regulating cytokine levels. Notably, exosomal ncRNAs have shown capacity in inflammation resolution. In addition to pre-clinical studies, clinical trials have examined role of ncRNAs in inflammation-mediated disease pathogenesis and cytokine regulation. The therapeutic targeting of ncRNAs using drugs and nucleic acids have been analyzed to reduce inflammation in disease therapy. Therefore, ncRNAs can serve as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets in inflammation-related diseases in pre-clinical and clinical backgrounds.
Assuntos
MicroRNAs , RNA Longo não Codificante , Humanos , RNA Circular/genética , RNA Longo não Codificante/genética , RNA Longo não Codificante/metabolismo , RNA não Traduzido/genética , RNA não Traduzido/metabolismo , MicroRNAs/genética , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Inflamação/genética , CitocinasRESUMO
Clouds are one of the most influential components of Earth's climate system. Specifically, the midlatitude clouds play a vital role in shaping Earth's albedo. This study investigates the connection between baroclinic activity, which dominates the midlatitude climate, and cloud-albedo and how it relates to Earth's existing hemispheric albedo symmetry. We show that baroclinic activity and cloud-albedo are highly correlated. By using Lagrangian tracking of cyclones and anticyclones and analyzing their individual cloud properties at different vertical levels, we explain why their cloud-albedo increases monotonically with intensity. We find that while for anticyclones, the relation between strength and cloudiness is mostly linear, for cyclones, in which clouds are more prevalent, the relation saturates with strength. Using the cloud-albedo strength relationships and the climatology of baroclinic activity, we demonstrate that the observed hemispheric difference in cloud-albedo is well explained by the difference in the population of cyclones and anticyclones, which counter-balances the difference in clear-sky albedo. Finally, we discuss the robustness of the hemispheric albedo symmetry in the future climate. Seemingly, the symmetry should break, as the northern hemisphere's storm track response differs from that of the southern hemisphere due to Arctic amplification. However, we show that the saturation of the cloud response to storm intensity implies that the increase in the skewness of the southern hemisphere storm distribution toward strong storms will decrease future cloud-albedo in the southern hemisphere. This complex response explains how albedo symmetry might persist even with the predicted asymmetric hemispheric change in baroclinicity under climate change.
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Obesity has been recognized as one of the most significant risk factors for the deterioration and mortality associated with COVID-19, but the significance of obesity itself differs among ethnicity. Multifactored analysis of our single institute-based retrospective cohort revealed that high visceral adipose tissue (VAT) burden, but not other obesity-associated markers, was related to accelerated inflammatory responses and the mortality of Japanese COVID-19 patients. To elucidate the mechanisms how VAT-dominant obesity induces severe inflammation after severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we infected two different strains of obese mice, C57BL/6JHamSlc-ob/ob (ob/ob), C57BLKS/J-db/db (db/db), genetically impaired in the leptin ligand and receptor, respectively, and control C57BL/6 mice with mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2. Here, we revealed that VAT-dominant ob/ob mice were extremely more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 due to excessive inflammatory responses when compared to SAT-dominant db/db mice. In fact, SARS-CoV-2 genome and proteins were more abundant in the lungs of ob/ob mice, engulfed in macrophages, resulting in increased cytokine production including interleukin (IL)-6. Both an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody treatment and the prevention of obesity by leptin replenishment improved the survival of SARS-CoV-2-infected ob/ob mice by reducing the viral protein burden and excessive immune responses. Our results have proposed unique insights and clues on how obesity increases the risk of cytokine storm and death in patients with COVID-19. Moreover, earlier administration of antiinflammatory therapeutics including anti-IL-6R antibody to VAT-dominant patients might improve clinical outcome and stratification of the treatment for COVID-19, at least in Japanese patients.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Malus , Camundongos , Animais , Leptina/genética , Citocinas , COVID-19/complicações , Estudos Retrospectivos , SARS-CoV-2 , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Obesidade/complicações , Obesidade/genética , Interleucina-6 , Camundongos ObesosRESUMO
Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS), which is frequently fatal, has garnered increased attention with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A variety of hyperinflammatory conditions associated with multiorgan system failure can be lumped under the CSS umbrella, including familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and secondary HLH associated with infections, hematologic malignancies, and autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders, in which case CSS is termed macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Various classification and diagnostic CSS criteria exist and include clinical, laboratory, pathologic, and genetic features. Familial HLH results from cytolytic homozygous genetic defects in the perforin pathway employed by cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. Similarly, NK cell dysfunction is often present in secondary HLH and MAS, and heterozygous mutations in familial HLH genes are frequently present. Targeting overly active lymphocytes and macrophages with etoposide and glucocorticoids is the standard for treating HLH; however, more targeted and safer anticytokine (e.g., anti-interleukin-1, -6) approaches are gaining traction as effective alternatives.
Assuntos
Linfo-Histiocitose Hemofagocítica , Síndrome de Ativação Macrofágica , Humanos , Síndrome da Liberação de Citocina , Síndrome de Ativação Macrofágica/diagnóstico , Síndrome de Ativação Macrofágica/genética , Linfo-Histiocitose Hemofagocítica/diagnóstico , Linfo-Histiocitose Hemofagocítica/genética , Linfo-Histiocitose Hemofagocítica/terapia , Células Matadoras Naturais/patologia , MacrófagosRESUMO
Influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cause pandemic infections where cytokine storm syndrome and lung inflammation lead to high mortality. Given the high social and economic cost of respiratory viruses, there is an urgent need to understand how the airways defend against virus infection. Here we use mice lacking the WD and linker domains of ATG16L1 to demonstrate that ATG16L1-dependent targeting of LC3 to single-membrane, non-autophagosome compartments - referred to as non-canonical autophagy - protects mice from lethal IAV infection. Mice with systemic loss of non-canonical autophagy are exquisitely sensitive to low-pathogenicity IAV where extensive viral replication throughout the lungs, coupled with cytokine amplification mediated by plasmacytoid dendritic cells, leads to fulminant pneumonia, lung inflammation and high mortality. IAV was controlled within epithelial barriers where non-canonical autophagy reduced IAV fusion with endosomes and activation of interferon signalling. Conditional mouse models and ex vivo analysis showed that protection against IAV infection of lung was independent of phagocytes and other leucocytes. This establishes non-canonical autophagy in airway epithelial cells as a novel innate defence that restricts IAV infection and lethal inflammation at respiratory surfaces.
Assuntos
Proteínas Relacionadas à Autofagia/genética , Vírus da Influenza A/patogenicidade , Proteínas Associadas aos Microtúbulos/metabolismo , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae/genética , Deleção de Sequência , Células Epiteliais Alveolares/metabolismo , Células Epiteliais Alveolares/virologia , Animais , Autofagia , Proteínas Relacionadas à Autofagia/química , Proteínas Relacionadas à Autofagia/metabolismo , Embrião de Galinha , Citocinas/metabolismo , Cães , Células Madin Darby de Rim Canino , Camundongos , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae/imunologia , Infecções por Orthomyxoviridae/mortalidade , Domínios Proteicos , Replicação ViralRESUMO
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can trigger dysregulated immune responses known as the cytokine release syndrome (CRS), leading to severe organ dysfunction and respiratory distress. Our study focuses on developing an improved cell-permeable nuclear import inhibitor (iCP-NI), capable of blocking the nuclear transport of inflammation-associated transcription factors, specifically nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). By fusing advanced macromolecule transduction domains and nuclear localization sequences from human NF-κB, iCP-NI selectively interacts with importin α5, effectively reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In mouse models mimic SARS-CoV-2-induced pneumonitis, iCP-NI treatment demonstrated a significant decrease in mortality rates by suppressing proinflammatory cytokine production and immune cell infiltration in the lungs. Similarly, in hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2, iCP-NI effectively protected the lung from inflammatory damage by reducing tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-17 levels. These promising results highlight the potential of iCP-NI as a therapeutic approach for COVID-19-related lung complications and other inflammatory lung diseases.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Camundongos , Animais , Humanos , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Transporte Ativo do Núcleo Celular , SARS-CoV-2 , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Inflamação , Citocinas/metabolismo , Peptídeos/metabolismoRESUMO
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 has stimulated the rapid development of new biological therapeutics to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, this remains a challenging task. In a previous study using structural analysis, we revealed that human cyclophilin A inhibits the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells by interfering with the interaction of the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 on the host cell surface, highlighting its potential for antiviral therapy. For a comprehensive experimental validation, in this study, we verified the antiviral effects of human cyclophilin A against SARS-CoV-2, including its variants, using in vitro assays and experiments on an in vivo mouse model. Human cyclophilin A demonstrated a highly effective antiviral effect, with an 85% survival rate upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. It also reduced viral titers, inflammation in the lungs and brain, and cytokine release in the serum, suggesting a controlled immune response and potentially faster recovery. Overall, our study provides insights into the potential of human cyclophilin A as a therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2, which should guide future clinical trials that might provide an additional therapeutic option for patients.
Assuntos
Antivirais , COVID-19 , Ciclofilina A , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus , Animais , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/metabolismo , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/imunologia , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Ciclofilina A/metabolismo , Camundongos , Antivirais/farmacologia , COVID-19/virologia , COVID-19/metabolismo , Ligação Proteica , Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19 , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Células Vero , Chlorocebus aethiops , FemininoRESUMO
Master regulatory genes require stable silencing by the polycomb group (PcG) to prevent misexpression during differentiation and development. Some PcG proteins covalently modify histones, which contributes to heritable repression. The role for other effects on chromatin structure is less understood. We characterized the organization of PcG target genes in ESCs and neural progenitors using 5C and super-resolution microscopy. The genomic loci of repressed PcG targets formed discrete, small (20-140 Kb) domains of tight interaction that corresponded to locations bound by canonical polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). These domains changed during differentiation as PRC1 binding changed. Their formation depended upon the Polyhomeotic component of canonical PRC1 and occurred independently of PRC1-catalyzed ubiquitylation. PRC1 domains differ from topologically associating domains in size and boundary characteristics. These domains have the potential to play a key role in transmitting epigenetic silencing of PcG targets by linking PRC1 to formation of a repressive higher-order structure.
Assuntos
DNA/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Embrionárias/citologia , Células-Tronco Neurais/citologia , Complexo Repressor Polycomb 1/metabolismo , Animais , Diferenciação Celular , Células Cultivadas , Cromatina/química , Cromatina/genética , Cromatina/metabolismo , DNA/química , DNA/genética , Células-Tronco Embrionárias/metabolismo , Epigênese Genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Histonas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Humanos , Camundongos , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo , Complexo Repressor Polycomb 1/química , Domínios Proteicos , UbiquitinaçãoRESUMO
Polycomb proteins are well-known epigenetic repressors with unexplained roles in chromatin folding. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Kundu et al. (2017) investigate the structures of PRC1-mediated domains in stem cells and probe their changes upon differentiation and in PRC knockouts.
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Células-Tronco Embrionárias/citologia , Complexo Repressor Polycomb 1/química , Complexo Repressor Polycomb 1/metabolismo , Animais , Diferenciação Celular , Cromatina/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Embrionárias/metabolismo , Epigênese Genética , Humanos , Complexo Repressor Polycomb 1/genética , Domínios ProteicosRESUMO
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The inflammatory cytokine storm causes systemic organ damage, especially acute lung injury in sepsis. In this study, we found that the expression of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) was significantly decreased in sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Sepsis activated the MEK/ERK pathway and inhibited Skp2 expression in the pulmonary epithelium, resulting in a reduction of K48 ubiquitination of solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLC3A2), thereby impairing its membrane localization and cystine/glutamate exchange function. Consequently, the dysregulated intracellular redox reactions induced ferroptosis in pulmonary epithelial cells, leading to lung injury. Finally, we demonstrated that intravenous administration of Skp2 mRNA-encapsulating lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) inhibited ferroptosis in the pulmonary epithelium and alleviated lung injury in septic mice. Taken together, these data provide an innovative understanding of the underlying mechanisms of sepsis-induced ALI and a promising therapeutic strategy for sepsis.