Protein OCLN found to play crucial role in SARS-CoV-2 cell-to-cell transmission

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Protein OCLN found to play crucial role in SARS-CoV-2 cell-to-cell transmission
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Protein OCLN found to play crucial role in SARS-CoV-2 cell-to-cell transmission SARSCoV2 OccludinProtein CellToCellTransmission ViralSpread SyncytiumFormation COVID19 Coronavirus ResearchPaper Virology PNASNews

By Neha MathurApr 20 2023Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, researchers demonstrated that the tight junction protein occludin is critical for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike -mediated, direct cell-to-cell transmission inside a host.

Previous studies have also associated the formation of syncytia in human lung tissues with SARS-CoV-2. In SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses , e.g., Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome , syncytia formation contributes to the augmented direct cell-to-cell transmission. However, the host factors involved in this process and the underlying mechanisms of S glycoprotein–induced cell-to-cell dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear.

About the study In the present study, researchers examined the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on TJ proteins, which helped them uncover a previously unknown role of OCLN as a host-origin internalization factor for SARS-CoV-2 entry and subsequent cell-to-cell transmission within the host cells.

Related StoriesOCLN is a transmembrane protein with four-helical domains, viz., an intracellular N-terminal domain, a long cytoplasmic tail, also known as C-terminal, two extracellular loops, EL1 & EL2 linked via a short intracellular loop. So, finally, the researchers determined which OCLN domain was critical for SARS-CoV-2 internalization and cell-to-cell transmission.

All rVSVs expressing S proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta, Beta, and Kappa variants exhibited enhanced cell-to-cell transmission than the WA-1 strain. The Gamma & Alpha variants exhibited comparable abilities to drive syncytium formation as the WA-1 strain. Intriguingly, Omicron exhibited a markedly decimated capacity to form syncytia in A549-hACE2 cells relative to other SARS-CoV-2 variants and WA-1, indicating that Omicron has limited ability to spread cell-cell using the endocytic pathway.

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