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Murine #betacoronavirus #spike protein: A major #determinant of #neuropathogenic properties

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By G.M.

Highlights

The current review highlights the following major findings from the literature.

1.The genomic control of pathogenic properties of murine β-coronavirus.

2.Plausible mechanism of virus-induced neuroinflammatory demyelination and axonal loss.

3.Spike protein as a major determinant of MHV-induced neuropathogenesis.

4.The minimal essential motif in fusion peptide responsible for neuropathogenesis.

5.mCoV research sheds light on hCoV neuropathogenesis and helps design anti-virals.


Abstract

Coronaviruses have emerged as a significant challenge to human health. While earlier outbreaks of coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV posed serious threats, the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has heightened interest in coronavirus research due to its pulmonary pathology, in addition to its neurological manifestations. In addition, the patients who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection show long-term symptoms such as anosmia, brain fog and long COVID. A major hurdle in studying these viruses is the limited availability of specialized research facilities, emphasizing the need for prototype virus-based models to investigate the pathophysiology. The mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), a member of the β-coronavirus family, serves as an excellent model to unravel the mechanisms underlying virus-induced pathogenesis. This review highlights two decades of research efforts aimed at understanding the pathophysiological mechanism of coronavirus-induced diseases, focusing on the development of targeted recombinant strains to identify the minimal essential motif of the spike protein responsible for fusogenicity and neuropathogenicity. By synthesizing findings from these studies, the review identifies the most promising therapeutic targets against coronaviruses, paving the way for the development of pan-coronavirus antivirals.

Source: Virology, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0042682225001126?via%3Dihub

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