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Viruses
Special Issues
Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0
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Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Coronaviruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 June 2024 | Viewed by 4342

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniele Focosi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
North-Western Tuscany Blood Bank, Pisa University Hospital, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: emerging viral infections; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma; passive immunotherapies; vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, titled “Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology”.

Much has been learnt about SARS-CoV-2 biology, but much also remains to be learned. Although it currently mostly drives pathology in immunocompromised patients, SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving at rates much higher than those of other human RNA viruses, with convergence with moving Spike targets while globally increasing its genetic and serological distance. The source of the pandemic has been redefined as a panzootic disease of placental mammals, leaving room for reverse zoonoses. The virus has also been shown to be able to compartmentalize and persist, even in immunocompetent hosts, potentially causing long-lasting symptoms for which directly acting antivirals are under investigation as treatment. Unfortunately, many emergency-use authorized drugs provide marginal benefits in vaccinated patients, and none of the anti-Spike monoclonal antibodies authorized so far are effective against emerging Omicron variants. Fundamental virology has discovered how SARS-CoV-2 carries miRNA-like molecules that are able to suppress the immune response and how the genome can integrate. In this Special Issue, we will collect articles discussing advances in epidemiology and fundamental virology, as well as novel therapeutics.

Dr. Daniele Focosi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • epidemiology
  • novel therapeutics
  • fundamental virology

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 2235 KiB  
Editorial
The Era of the FLips: How Spike Mutations L455F and F456L (and A475V) Are Shaping SARS-CoV-2 Evolution
by Daniele Focosi, Pietro Giorgio Spezia, Federico Gueli and Fabrizio Maggi
Viruses 2024, 16(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16010003 - 19 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1597
Abstract
Convergent evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein has been mostly driven by immune escape, in particular by escape to the viral infection-neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) elicited by previous infections and/or vaccinations [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0)
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Research

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15 pages, 2520 KiB  
Article
Natural Killer Cells Do Not Attenuate a Mouse-Adapted SARS-CoV-2-Induced Disease in Rag2−/− Mice
by Calder R Ellsworth, Chenxiao Wang, Alexis R Katz, Zheng Chen, Mohammad Islamuddin, Haoran Yang, Sarah E Scheuermann, Kelly A Goff, Nicholas J Maness, Robert V Blair, Jay K Kolls and Xuebin Qin
Viruses 2024, 16(4), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040611 - 15 Apr 2024
Viewed by 575
Abstract
This study investigates the roles of T, B, and Natural Killer (NK) cells in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19, utilizing mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2-MA30 (MA30). To evaluate this MA30 mouse model, we characterized MA30-infected C57BL/6 mice (B6) and compared them with SARS-CoV-2-WA1 (an original SARS-CoV-2 [...] Read more.
This study investigates the roles of T, B, and Natural Killer (NK) cells in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19, utilizing mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2-MA30 (MA30). To evaluate this MA30 mouse model, we characterized MA30-infected C57BL/6 mice (B6) and compared them with SARS-CoV-2-WA1 (an original SARS-CoV-2 strain) infected K18-human ACE2 (K18-hACE2) mice. We found that the infected B6 mice developed severe peribronchial inflammation and rapid severe pulmonary edema, but less lung interstitial inflammation than the infected K18-hACE2 mice. These pathological findings recapitulate some pathological changes seen in severe COVID-19 patients. Using this MA30-infected mouse model, we further demonstrate that T and/or B cells are essential in mounting an effective immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This was evident as Rag2−/− showed heightened vulnerability to infection and inhibited viral clearance. Conversely, the depletion of NK cells did not significantly alter the disease course in Rag2−/− mice, underscoring the minimal role of NK cells in the acute phase of MA30-induced disease. Together, our results indicate that T and/or B cells, but not NK cells, mitigate MA30-induced disease in mice and the infected mouse model can be used for dissecting the pathogenesis and immunology of severe COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0)
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14 pages, 2204 KiB  
Article
Establishment of the First National Standard for Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 XBB Variants
by Xuanxuan Zhang, Lidong Guan, Na Li, Ying Wang, Lu Li, Mingchen Liu, Qian He, Jiansheng Lu, Haiyuan Zeng, Shan Yu, Xinyi Guo, Jiali Gong, Jing Li, Fan Gao, Xing Wu, Si Chen, Qian Wang, Zhongfang Wang, Weijin Huang, Qunying Mao, Zhenglun Liang and Miao Xuadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Viruses 2024, 16(4), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040554 - 01 Apr 2024
Viewed by 668
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are indicators of vaccine efficacy that enable immunity surveillance. However, the rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 variants prevents the timely establishment of standards required for effective XBB vaccine evaluation. Therefore, we prepared four candidate [...] Read more.
Neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are indicators of vaccine efficacy that enable immunity surveillance. However, the rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 variants prevents the timely establishment of standards required for effective XBB vaccine evaluation. Therefore, we prepared four candidate standards (No. 11, No. 44, No. 22, and No. 33) using plasma, purified immunoglobulin, and a broad-spectrum neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Collaborative calibration was conducted across nine Chinese laboratories using neutralization methods against 11 strains containing the XBB and BA.2.86 sublineages. This study demonstrated the reduced neutralization potency of the first International Standard antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern against XBB variants. No. 44 displayed broad-spectrum neutralizing activity against XBB sublineages, effectively reduced interlaboratory variability for nearly all XBB variants, and effectively minimized the geometric mean titer (GMT) difference between the live and pseudotyped virus. No. 22 showed a broader spectrum and higher neutralizing activity against all strains but failed to reduce interlaboratory variability. Thus, No. 44 was approved as a National Standard for NtAbs against XBB variants, providing a unified NtAb measurement standard for XBB variants for the first time. Moreover, No. 22 was approved as a national reference reagent for NtAbs against SARS-CoV-2, offering a broad-spectrum activity reference for current and potentially emerging variants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0)
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Review

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15 pages, 2428 KiB  
Review
SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 as a Modulator of Cytokine Induction: Evidence and Search for Molecular Mechanisms
by Marília Inês Móvio, Giovana Waner Carneiro de Almeida, Isabella das Graças Lopes Martines, Gilmara Barros de Lima, Sergio Daishi Sasaki, Alexandre Hiroaki Kihara, Emma Poole, Michael Nevels and Maria Cristina Carlan da Silva
Viruses 2024, 16(1), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16010161 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1149
Abstract
Severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are characterized by an immune response that leads to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in lung damage, cardiovascular symptoms, hematologic symptoms, acute kidney injury and multiple organ failure that can lead to death. This remarkable increase in [...] Read more.
Severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are characterized by an immune response that leads to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in lung damage, cardiovascular symptoms, hematologic symptoms, acute kidney injury and multiple organ failure that can lead to death. This remarkable increase in cytokines and other inflammatory molecules is primarily caused by viral proteins, and particular interest has been given to ORF8, a unique accessory protein specific to SARS-CoV-2. Despite plenty of research, the precise mechanisms by which ORF8 induces proinflammatory cytokines are not clear. Our investigations demonstrated that ORF8 augments production of IL-6 induced by Poly(I:C) in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mono-DCs). We discuss our findings and the multifaceted roles of ORF8 as a modulator of cytokine response, focusing on type I interferon and IL-6, a key component of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, we explore the hypothesis that ORF8 may act through pattern recognition receptors of dsRNA such as TLRs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0)
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