中东呼吸道冠状病毒,动物模型 z-bo 2020-11-30 353

　　Recently, in a research paper published in the international journal PLoS Pathogens, staff from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases developed for the first time an animal model that can simulate the symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. This provides new research ideas for the development of new therapies and drugs for the treatment of the virus infection.

　　In the article, the researchers revealed how MERS-CoV recognizes and invades human cells. The virus can use the protruding protein on its surface to bind to a protein called DPP4 on the surface of human cells, so that the virus is trapped in the cell, and then the virus begins to spread. Self-replication in the cell turns the human body cell into a synthetic factory for the virus itself.

　　The variation of DPP4 protein between different species of animals seems to determine its susceptibility to MERS-CoV infection. For example, for mice, hamsters or ferrets, the DPP4 protein on the cell surface is different from the protein in the human body. Moreover, it is resistant to the MERS-CoV virus. However, when hamsters or ferrets are infected with the virus, they will only show mild to moderate symptoms of infection. They do not carry high levels of the virus like humans, causing serious Illness and even death.

　　Researcher Heinz Feldmann said that we are trying to find animals that are similar to the DPP4 protein of human cells, especially model animals that can directly bind to the viral protrusion protein. Finally, we found that the DPP4 protein on the surface of the marmoset cell and the human DPP4 protein have The same amino acid sequence. The three-dimensional model analysis confirmed that the difference between the DPP4 protein on the surface of the marmoset and human cells lies outside the binding domain of DPP4 and the viral protrusion protein.

　　Because the marmoset may be used as a model animal for researchers to conduct MERS-CoV susceptibility studies, the researchers subsequently infected 9 marmosets with the virus, and the results showed that all the infected animals were weak and had a higher lung viral load. Severe pneumonia caused by most animals such as inflammation. The researchers said that we expect that marmosets can be used as a new animal model for our future research on the pathogenic mechanism of the MERS-CoV virus, which may be more helpful for us to develop new therapies for the treatment of MERS-CoV infection.