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Contrasting roles of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 internal proteins in pathogenesis in mice
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Contrasting roles of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 internal proteins in pathogenesis in mice

Lok-Yin Roy Wong, Abby Odle, Emma Luhmann, Douglas C Wu, Yiquan Wang, Qi Wen Teo, Celeste Ptak, Alan Sariol, Shea Lowery, Matthias Mack, …
mBio, Vol.14(6), e0247623
12/19/2023
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02476-23
PMCID: PMC10746224
PMID: 37882568
url
https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.02476-23View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Betacoronaviruses encode an internal (I) gene via an alternative reading frame within the nucleocapsid gene, called ORF8b for Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and ORF9b for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2. Previous reports suggested that proteins 8b and 9b are involved in evading multiple innate immune signaling pathways. However, their roles in mediating pathogenesis in infected animals have not been determined. In this study, we abrogated the expression of protein 8b in MERS-CoV and protein 9b in SARS-CoV-2. Using mouse models of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection, we found that MERS-CoV lacking protein 8b expression was more virulent, while SARS-CoV-2 lacking protein 9b expression was attenuated compared with the respective wild-type viruses. Upon further analysis, we detected increased levels of type I interferon and enhanced infiltration of immune cells to the lungs of mice infected with MERS-CoV lacking protein 8b expression. These data suggest that the I protein of MERS-CoV plays a role in limiting pathogenesis while that of SARS-CoV-2 enhances disease severity.
Pathogenesis MERS-CoV immune response SARS-CoV-2

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