The role of cell surface sialic acids for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Glycobiology
; 31(10): 1245-1253, 2021 11 18.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1205628
ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new virus that has higher contagious capacity than any other previous human coronaviruses (HCoVs) and causes the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Sialic acids are a group of nine-carbon acidic α-keto sugars, usually located at the end of glycans of cell surface glycoconjugates and serve as attachment sites for previous HCoVs. It is therefore speculated that sialic acids on the host cell surface could serve as co-receptors or attachment factors for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry as well. Recent in silico modeling, molecular modeling predictions and microscopy studies indicate potential sialic acid binding by SARS-CoV-2 upon cell entry. In particular, a flat sialic acid-binding domain was proposed at the N-terminal domain of the spike protein, which may lead to the initial contact and interaction of the virus on the epithelium followed by higher affinity binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, likely a two-step attachment fashion. However, recent in vitro and ex vivo studies of sialic acids on ACE2 receptor confirmed an opposite role for SARS-CoV-2 binding. In particular, neuraminidase treatment of epithelial cells and ACE2-expressing 293T cells increased SARS-CoV-2 binding. Furthermore, the ACE2 glycosylation inhibition studies indicate that sialic acids on ACE2 receptor prevent ACE2-spike protein interaction. On the other hand, a most recent study indicates that gangliosides could serve as ligands for receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This mini-review discusses what has been predicted and known so far about the role of sialic acid for SARS-CoV-2 infection and future research perspective.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Receptors, Virus
/
Sialic Acids
/
Cell Membrane
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Glycobiology
Journal subject:
Biochemistry
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Glycob
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