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COVID-19: Molecular Biology Research
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COVID-19: Molecular Biology Research

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 10732

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Daeui Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Korea Institute of Toxicology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Interests: bioinformatics; RNA-seq; protein-protein interaction; docking simulation; emerging viruses; predictive toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Semin Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 44919 Ulsan, Korea
Interests: cancer genomics; single-cell genomics; structural bioinformatics; neurological disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging human infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also previously known as 2019-nCoV). Based on the rapid increase in the rate of human infection, the World Health Organization has classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. As of 8 May 2020, more than 3,899,098 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 213 countries.

Although many researchers have made great efforts to fight SARS-CoV-2, the viral origin and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 are unknown and mysterious. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 has different spreading power compared with other betacorona viruses, although it is a member of betacoronavirus. Therefore, futher bioinformatic researches are required to understand SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

In this context, we would like to invite reviews and original articles that focus on understanding SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 based on bioinformatics approach or combined computational-experimental approach. In addition, the articles associated with virus origin, virus diagnosis, antiviral agents (such as chemical, antibody, biologics, and vaccine), virus-host interaction, and immunology are requested for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Daeui Park
Prof. Dr. Semin Lee
Guest Editors

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • Phylogenetic analysis
  • Next generation sequence analysis
  • Virus-Host interaction
  • Immunology
  • Antiviral agents
  • Vaccine
  • Virus diagnosis

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2298 KiB  
Article
Establishment of a Rapid Detection System for ISG20-Dependent SARS-CoV-2 Subreplicon RNA Degradation Induced by Interferon-α
by Yutaka Furutani, Mariko Toguchi, Shoko Higuchi, Kaori Yanaka, Luc Gailhouste, Xian-Yang Qin, Takahiro Masaki, Sae Ochi and Tomokazu Matsuura
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11641; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222111641 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3160
Abstract
Inhaled nebulized interferon (IFN)-α and IFN-β have been shown to be effective in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to construct a virus-free rapid detection system for high-throughput screening of IFN-like compounds that induce viral RNA degradation and suppress the [...] Read more.
Inhaled nebulized interferon (IFN)-α and IFN-β have been shown to be effective in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to construct a virus-free rapid detection system for high-throughput screening of IFN-like compounds that induce viral RNA degradation and suppress the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We prepared a SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA expression vector which contained the SARS-CoV-2 5′-UTR, the partial sequence of ORF1a, luciferase, nucleocapsid, ORF10, and 3′-UTR under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. The expression vector was transfected into Calu-3 cells and treated with IFN-α and the IFNAR2 agonist CDM-3008 (RO8191) for 3 days. SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA degradation was subsequently evaluated based on luciferase levels. IFN-α and CDM-3008 suppressed SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 193 IU/mL and 2.54 μM, respectively. HeLa cells stably expressing SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA were prepared and treated with the IFN-α and pan-JAK inhibitor Pyridone 6 or siRNA-targeting ISG20. IFN-α activity was canceled with Pyridone 6. The knockdown of ISG20 partially canceled IFN-α activity. Collectively, we constructed a virus-free rapid detection system to measure SARS-CoV-2 RNA suppression. Our data suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA was degraded by IFN-α-induced ISG20 exonuclease activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19: Molecular Biology Research)
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18 pages, 6947 KiB  
Article
Structural and Functional Analysis of Female Sex Hormones against SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry
by Jorge Alberto Aguilar-Pineda, Mazen Albaghdadi, Wanlin Jiang, Karin J. Vera-Lopez, Rita Nieto-Montesinos, Karla Lucia F. Alvarez, Gonzalo Davila Del-Carpio, Badhin Gómez, Mark E. Lindsay, Rajeev Malhotra and Christian L. Lino Cardenas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11508; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222111508 - 26 Oct 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2931
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that males are more susceptible to severe infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus than females. A variety of mechanisms may underlie the observed gender-related disparities including differences in sex hormones. However, the precise mechanisms by which female sex hormones may provide [...] Read more.
Emerging evidence suggests that males are more susceptible to severe infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus than females. A variety of mechanisms may underlie the observed gender-related disparities including differences in sex hormones. However, the precise mechanisms by which female sex hormones may provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 infectivity remains unknown. Here we report new insights into the molecular basis of the interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and the human ACE2 receptor. We further report that glycosylation of the ACE2 receptor enhances SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Importantly, estrogens can disrupt glycan–glycan interactions and glycan–protein interactions between the human ACE2 and the SARS-CoV-2 thereby blocking its entry into cells. In a mouse model of COVID-19, estrogens reduced ACE2 glycosylation and thereby alveolar uptake of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. These results shed light on a putative mechanism whereby female sex hormones may provide protection from developing severe infection and could inform the development of future therapies against COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19: Molecular Biology Research)
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27 pages, 6181 KiB  
Article
Long Term Immune Response Produced by the SputnikV Vaccine
by Ekaterina Martynova, Shaimaa Hamza, Ekaterina E. Garanina, Emmanuel Kabwe, Maria Markelova, Venera Shakirova, Ilsiyar M. Khaertynova, Neha Kaushal, Manoj Baranwal, Albert A. Rizvanov, Richard A. Urbanowicz and Svetlana F. Khaiboullina
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(20), 11211; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222011211 - 18 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3885
Abstract
SputnikV is a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology. The vaccine has been shown to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses, yet the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Forty SputnikV vaccinated individuals were included in [...] Read more.
SputnikV is a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology. The vaccine has been shown to induce both humoral and cellular immune responses, yet the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Forty SputnikV vaccinated individuals were included in this study which aimed to demonstrate the location of immunogenic domains of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein using an overlapping peptide library. Additionally, cytokines in the serum of vaccinated and convalescent COVID-19 patients were analyzed. We have found antibodies from both vaccinated and convalescent sera bind to immunogenic regions located in multiple domains of SARS-CoV-2 S protein, including Receptor Binding Domain (RBD), N-terminal Domain (NTD), Fusion Protein (FP) and Heptad Repeats (HRs). Interestingly, many peptides were recognized by immunized and convalescent serum antibodies and correspond to conserved regions in circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. This breadth of reactivity was still evident 90 days after the first dose of the vaccine, showing that the vaccine has induced a prolonged response. As evidenced by the activation of T cells, cellular immunity strongly suggests the high potency of the SputnikV vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID-19: Molecular Biology Research)
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