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1.
Int J Mol Sci ; 23(4)2022 Feb 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35216056

ABSTRACT

The development of prophylactic agents against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a public health priority in the search for new surrogate markers of active virus replication. Early detection markers are needed to follow disease progression and foresee patient negativization. Subgenomic RNA transcripts (with a focus on sgN) were evaluated in oro/nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19-affected patients with an analysis of 315 positive samples using qPCR technology. Cut-off Cq values for sgN (Cq < 33.15) and sgE (Cq < 34.06) showed correlations to high viral loads. The specific loss of sgN in home-isolated and hospitalized COVID-19-positive patients indicated negativization of patient condition, 3-7 days from the first swab, respectively. A new detection kit for sgN, gene E, gene ORF1ab, and gene RNAse P was developed recently. In addition, in vitro studies have shown that 2'-O-methyl antisense RNA (related to the sgN sequence) can impair SARS-CoV-2 N protein synthesis, viral replication, and syncytia formation in human cells (i.e., HEK-293T cells overexpressing ACE2) upon infection with VOC Alpha (B.1.1.7)-SARS-CoV-2 variant, defining the use that this procedure might have for future therapeutic actions against SARS-CoV-2.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/virology , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Virus Replication/physiology , Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins/analysis , Giant Cells/drug effects , Giant Cells/virology , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Limit of Detection , Nasopharynx/virology , Phosphoproteins/analysis , Phosphoproteins/genetics , RNA, Antisense/pharmacology , RNA, Viral , Ribonuclease P/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Sensitivity and Specificity , Social Isolation , Viral Load , Viroporin Proteins/genetics , Virus Replication/drug effects
2.
ACS Omega ; 6(50): 34945-34953, 2021 Dec 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34926968

ABSTRACT

Numerous reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests have emerged over the past year as the gold standard for detecting millions of cases of SARS-CoV-2 reported daily worldwide. However, problems with critical shortages of key reagents such as PCR primers and RNA extraction kits and unpredictable test reliability related to high viral replication cycles have triggered the need for alternative methodologies to PCR to detect specific COVID-19 proteins. Several authors have developed methods based on liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to confirm the potential of the technique to detect two major proteins, the spike and the nucleoprotein, of COVID-19. In the present work, an S-Trap mini spin column digestion protocol was used for sample preparation prodromal to LC-MS/MS analysis in multiple reactions monitoring ion mode (MRM) to obtain a comprehensive method capable of detecting different viral proteins. The developed method was applied to n. 81 oro/nasopharyngeal swabs submitted in parallel to quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assays to detect RdRP, the S and N genes specific for COVID-19, and the E gene for all Sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (with cycle negativity threshold set to 40). A total of 23 peptides representative of the six specific viral proteins were detected in the monitoring of 128 transitions found to have good ionic currents extracted in clinical samples that reacted differently to the PCR assay. The best instrumental response came from the FLPFQFGR sequence of spike [558-566] peptide used to test the analytical performance of the method that has good sensitivity with a low false-negative rate. Transition monitoring using a targeted MS approach has the great potential to detect the fragmentation reactions of any peptide molecularly defined by a specific amino acid sequence, offering the extensibility of the approach to any viral sequence including derived variants and thus providing insights into the development of new types of clinical diagnostics.

3.
Sci Signal ; 14(690)2021 07 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34230209

ABSTRACT

Inorganic polyphosphates (polyPs) are linear polymers composed of repeated phosphate (PO4 3-) units linked together by multiple high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. In addition to being a source of energy, polyPs have cytoprotective and antiviral activities. Here, we investigated the antiviral activities of long-chain polyPs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In molecular docking analyses, polyPs interacted with several conserved amino acid residues in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host receptor that facilitates virus entry, and in viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). ELISA and limited proteolysis assays using nano- LC-MS/MS mapped polyP120 binding to ACE2, and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed interactions between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and identified the specific amino acid residues involved. PolyP120 enhanced the proteasomal degradation of both ACE2 and RdRp, thus impairing replication of the British B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant. We thus tested polyPs for functional interactions with the virus in SARS-CoV-2-infected Vero E6 and Caco2 cells and in primary human nasal epithelial cells. Delivery of a nebulized form of polyP120 reduced the amounts of viral positive-sense genomic and subgenomic RNAs, of RNA transcripts encoding proinflammatory cytokines, and of viral structural proteins, thereby presenting SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells in vitro.


Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Polyphosphates/pharmacology , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , Administration, Inhalation , Amino Acid Sequence , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/chemistry , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism , Animals , Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage , Antiviral Agents/chemistry , COVID-19/metabolism , COVID-19/virology , Caco-2 Cells , Chlorocebus aethiops , Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/chemistry , Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/genetics , Coronavirus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/metabolism , Cytokines/metabolism , HEK293 Cells , Host Microbial Interactions/drug effects , Host Microbial Interactions/genetics , Host Microbial Interactions/physiology , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Models, Biological , Molecular Docking Simulation , Nebulizers and Vaporizers , Polyphosphates/administration & dosage , Polyphosphates/chemistry , Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/metabolism , Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs , Proteolysis/drug effects , RNA, Viral/genetics , RNA, Viral/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Vero Cells , Virus Replication/drug effects
4.
Diagnostics (Basel) ; 11(2)2021 Feb 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33673182

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced diagnostic laboratories to focus on the early diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2. The positivity of a molecular test cannot respond to the question regarding the viral capability to replicate, spread, and give different clinical effects. Despite the fact that some targets are covered by commercially-available assays, the identification of new biomarkers is desired in order to improve the quality of the information given by these assays. Therefore, since the subgenomic transcripts (sgN and sgE) are considered markers of viral activity, we evaluated these subgenomic transcripts in relation to the genomic amplification obtained using five different commercial CE-IVD tools. Methods: Five CE-IVD kits were compared in terms of their capability to detect both synthetic SARS-CoV-2 viral constructs (spiked in TMB or PBS medium) and targets (N, E, RdRp and Orf1ab genes) in twenty COVID-19-positive patients' swabs. The sgN and sgE were assayed by real-time RT-qPCR and digital PCR. Results: None of the diagnostic kits missed the viral target genes when they were applied to targets spiked in TMB or PBS (at dilutions ranging from 100 pg to 0.1 pg). Nevertheless, once they were applied to RNA extracted from the patients' swabs, the superimposability ranged from 50% to 100%, regardless of the extraction procedure. The sgN RNA transcript was detected only in samples with a higher viral load (Ct ≤ 22.5), while sgE was within all of the Ct ranges. Conclusions: The five kits show variable performances depending on the assay layout. It is worthy of note that the detection of the sgN transcript is associated with a higher viral load, thus representing a new marker of early and more severe infection.

5.
J Clin Med ; 9(5)2020 May 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32414125

ABSTRACT

BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript is the minimal residual disease marker in chronic myeloid leukemia; 2% of patients show unusual breakpoints generating atypical transcripts, not quantifiable by standardized real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Response monitoring is performed by non-quantitative NESTED PCR, useless for evaluating patients' molecular remission, excluding them from treatment-free-remission protocols. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is highly sensitive technology, allowing an absolute quantification independent of standard curves. Based on this, we have developed assays able to evaluate the molecular response in atypical patients. We designed new ddPCR-based molecular assays able to quantify atypical BCR-ABL1 transcripts, with a detection limit of 0.001%, validated in a cohort of 65 RNA from 11 patients. Fifty samples were identified congruently by ddPCR and NESTED PCR (40 positives and 10 negatives for atypical BCR-ABL1 transcript), while 11 positive samples were detected only by ddPCR. Our results highlight ddPCR usefulness, primarily when the BCR-ABL1/ABL1 level is less than 1.5% and NESTED PCR results are often inaccurate. Furthermore, we identified 3 patients who maintained a deep molecular response for at least one year, who could be considered good candidates for treatment-free remission approaches. Here, we describe a new promising molecular approach, highly sensitive, to monitor atypical BCR-ABL1 patients, paving the foundation to include them in treatment-free remission protocols.

6.
Leuk Res ; 32(2): 255-61, 2008 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17692911

ABSTRACT

To determine the impact on minimal residual disease by switching to imatinib chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CP-CML) patients responsive to interferon-alpha (IFNalpha), in stable complete cytogenetic response (CCR) but with persistent PCR positivity. Twenty-six Philadelphia positive (Ph+) CML patients in stable CCR after IFNalpha but persistently positive at PCR analysis during this treatment, were given imatinib mesylate at standard dose. At enrolment into the study, median IFN treatment and CCR duration were 88 months (range 15-202) and 73 months (range 10-148), respectively. Imatinib treatment resulted in a progressive and consistent decline of the residual disease as measured by quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) in all but one of the 26 patients; at the end of follow-up, after a median of 32 months (range 21-49) of treatment, a major molecular response (BCR/ABL levels <0.1) was reached in 20 patients (77%), and BCR/ABL transcripts were undetectable in 13 (50%). The achievement of molecular response was significantly correlated with post-IFN baseline transcript level (mean 1.194 for patients achieving complete molecular response versus 18.97 for those who did not; p<0.001), but not with other clinical/biological disease characteristics. These results indicate that patients induced into CCR by IFN treatment represent a subset with very favourable prognosis, which can significantly improve molecular response with imatinib and further support investigative treatment schedules combining these two drugs.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/drug effects , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy , Adult , Benzamides , Humans , Imatinib Mesylate , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Interferon-alpha/administration & dosage , Middle Aged , Neoplasm, Residual , Piperazines/administration & dosage , Pyrimidines/administration & dosage , RNA, Messenger/analysis , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Treatment Outcome
7.
Haematologica ; 92(11): 1579-80, 2007 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18024412

ABSTRACT

CML patients who obtain a complete cytogenetic response (CCgR) may harbor different degrees of molecular disease, which are associated with different progression-free survival. We have compared the pattern and the magnitude of the molecular response (MolR) of 54 early chronic phase (ECP) and of 115 late CP patients who achieved a stable CCgR with IM 400 mg/daily. ECP patients obtained earlier, higher and more sustained MMolR.


Subject(s)
Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy , Piperazines/administration & dosage , Pyrimidines/administration & dosage , Benzamides , Cytogenetics , Disease-Free Survival , Humans , Imatinib Mesylate , Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/diagnosis , Time Factors
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