SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Elicits Cell Signaling in Human Host Cells: Implications for Possible Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccines
1
Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
2
Department of Pathological Anatomy N2, Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kiev, Ukraine
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vaccines 2021, 9(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010036
Received: 15 December 2020
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Revised: 31 December 2020
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Accepted: 8 January 2021
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Published: 11 January 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2 Serological Studies around the Globe)
The world is suffering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 uses its spike protein to enter the host cells. Vaccines that introduce the spike protein into our body to elicit virus-neutralizing antibodies are currently being developed. In this article, we note that human host cells sensitively respond to the spike protein to elicit cell signaling. Thus, it is important to be aware that the spike protein produced by the new COVID-19 vaccines may also affect the host cells. We should monitor the long-term consequences of these vaccines carefully, especially when they are administered to otherwise healthy individuals. Further investigations on the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on human cells and appropriate experimental animal models are warranted.
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Keywords:
cell signaling; coronavirus; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; spike protein; vaccine
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MDPI and ACS Style
Suzuki, Y.J.; Gychka, S.G. SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Elicits Cell Signaling in Human Host Cells: Implications for Possible Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccines. Vaccines 2021, 9, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010036
AMA Style
Suzuki YJ, Gychka SG. SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Elicits Cell Signaling in Human Host Cells: Implications for Possible Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccines. Vaccines. 2021; 9(1):36. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010036
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzuki, Yuichiro J., and Sergiy G. Gychka. 2021. "SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Elicits Cell Signaling in Human Host Cells: Implications for Possible Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccines" Vaccines 9, no. 1: 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9010036
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