2024
Human iPSC-Based Model of COPD to Investigate Disease Mechanisms, Predict SARS-COV-2 Outcome, and Test Preventive Immunotherapy
Dagher R, Moldobaeva A, Gubbins E, Clark S, Alfajaro M, Wilen C, Hawkins F, Qu X, Chiang C, Li Y, Clarke L, Ikeda Y, Brown C, Kolbeck R, Ma Q, Rojas M, Koff J, Ghaedi M. Human iPSC-Based Model of COPD to Investigate Disease Mechanisms, Predict SARS-COV-2 Outcome, and Test Preventive Immunotherapy. Stem Cells 2024, 42: 230-250. PMID: 38183264, DOI: 10.1093/stmcls/sxad094.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSARS-CoV-2 infectionAlveolar nicheSARS-CoV-2 outcomesAberrant inflammatory responseModels of COPDDisease-specific mechanismsInflammation/Preventive immunotherapyChronic inflammationEpithelial damageInflammatory responseLung tissueCOPDNovel therapeuticsEpithelial-mesenchymal interactionsMitochondrial dysfunctionInfectionDisease mechanismsHuman iPSCCell deathFibroblast modelSingle-cell levelRepair mechanismsIPSCsImmunotherapy
2023
Differences in syncytia formation by SARS-CoV-2 variants modify host chromatin accessibility and cellular senescence via TP53
Lee J, Menasche B, Mavrikaki M, Uyemura M, Hong S, Kozlova N, Wei J, Alfajaro M, Filler R, Müller A, Saxena T, Posey R, Cheung P, Muranen T, Heng Y, Paulo J, Wilen C, Slack F. Differences in syncytia formation by SARS-CoV-2 variants modify host chromatin accessibility and cellular senescence via TP53. Cell Reports 2023, 42: 113478. PMID: 37991919, PMCID: PMC10785701, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113478.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsChromatin accessibilityProteomic compositionCellular senescenceTP53 stabilizationSARS-CoV-2 spikeCell-cell fusionPathogenic coronavirusesSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variantsSenescence-associated inflammationSARS-CoV-2 infectionMiddle East respiratory syndromeAccessibility stateInflammatory cytokine releaseSevere respiratory infectionsSARS-CoV-2 variantsSignificant public health threatCoronavirus disease 2019SARS-CoV-2Public health threatBreakthrough infectionsRespiratory infectionsCytokine releaseSenescenceDisease 2019Respiratory syndromePLSCR1 is a cell-autonomous defence factor against SARS-CoV-2 infection
Xu D, Jiang W, Wu L, Gaudet R, Park E, Su M, Cheppali S, Cheemarla N, Kumar P, Uchil P, Grover J, Foxman E, Brown C, Stansfeld P, Bewersdorf J, Mothes W, Karatekin E, Wilen C, MacMicking J. PLSCR1 is a cell-autonomous defence factor against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature 2023, 619: 819-827. PMID: 37438530, PMCID: PMC10371867, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06322-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsC-terminal β-barrel domainSpike-mediated fusionCell-autonomous defenseLarge-scale exome sequencingΒ-barrel domainGenome-wide CRISPRSARS-CoV-2 infectionHost cell cytosolScramblase activityPhospholipid scramblaseLive SARS-CoV-2 infectionHuman lung epitheliumPLSCR1SARS-CoV-2 USASingle-molecule switchingSARS-CoV-2 variantsExome sequencingHuman populationRestriction factorsViral RNANew SARS-CoV-2 variantsSARS-CoV-2Robust activityLung epitheliumDefense factorsPharmacological disruption of mSWI/SNF complex activity restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection
Wei J, Patil A, Collings C, Alfajaro M, Liang Y, Cai W, Strine M, Filler R, DeWeirdt P, Hanna R, Menasche B, Ökten A, Peña-Hernández M, Klein J, McNamara A, Rosales R, McGovern B, Luis Rodriguez M, García-Sastre A, White K, Qin Y, Doench J, Yan Q, Iwasaki A, Zwaka T, Qi J, Kadoch C, Wilen C. Pharmacological disruption of mSWI/SNF complex activity restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature Genetics 2023, 55: 471-483. PMID: 36894709, PMCID: PMC10011139, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01307-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMSWI/SNF complexesAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionHost-directed therapeutic targetSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSARS-CoV-2 infectionSWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatinSARS-CoV-2 susceptibilityNon-fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatinCoronavirus 2 infectionEnzyme 2 (ACE2) expressionSARS-CoV-2 variantsHuman cell typesPrimary human cell typesAirway epithelial cellsDrug-resistant variantsNew drug targetsChromatin accessibilitySNF complexACE2 locusACE2 expressionFactor complexHost determinantsTherapeutic targetConfer resistance
2022
Genome-wide bidirectional CRISPR screens identify mucins as host factors modulating SARS-CoV-2 infection
Biering SB, Sarnik SA, Wang E, Zengel JR, Leist SR, Schäfer A, Sathyan V, Hawkins P, Okuda K, Tau C, Jangid AR, Duffy CV, Wei J, Gilmore RC, Alfajaro MM, Strine MS, Nguyenla X, Van Dis E, Catamura C, Yamashiro LH, Belk JA, Begeman A, Stark JC, Shon DJ, Fox DM, Ezzatpour S, Huang E, Olegario N, Rustagi A, Volmer AS, Livraghi-Butrico A, Wehri E, Behringer RR, Cheon DJ, Schaletzky J, Aguilar HC, Puschnik AS, Button B, Pinsky BA, Blish CA, Baric RS, O’Neal W, Bertozzi CR, Wilen CB, Boucher RC, Carette JE, Stanley SA, Harris E, Konermann S, Hsu PD. Genome-wide bidirectional CRISPR screens identify mucins as host factors modulating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature Genetics 2022, 54: 1078-1089. PMID: 35879412, PMCID: PMC9355872, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01131-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionHost factorsSARS-CoV-2 entry factors ACE2SARS-CoV-2-host interactionsSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Diverse respiratory virusesMild respiratory illnessRespiratory distress syndromeSARS-CoV-2 host factorsHost-directed therapeuticsSyndrome coronavirus 2Coronavirus disease 2019Human lung epithelial cellsRange of symptomsHost defense mechanismsLung epithelial cellsGenome-wide CRISPR knockoutDistress syndromeRespiratory virusesRespiratory illnessCoronavirus 2Cell cycle regulationHigh molecular weight glycoproteinsInflammasome activation in infected macrophages drives COVID-19 pathology
Sefik E, Qu R, Junqueira C, Kaffe E, Mirza H, Zhao J, Brewer JR, Han A, Steach HR, Israelow B, Blackburn HN, Velazquez SE, Chen YG, Halene S, Iwasaki A, Meffre E, Nussenzweig M, Lieberman J, Wilen CB, Kluger Y, Flavell RA. Inflammasome activation in infected macrophages drives COVID-19 pathology. Nature 2022, 606: 585-593. PMID: 35483404, PMCID: PMC9288243, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04802-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInflammasome activationLung inflammationInflammatory responseInfected macrophagesSARS-CoV-2 infectionHuman macrophagesChronic lung pathologyPersistent lung inflammationSevere COVID-19Immune inflammatory responseInflammatory cytokine productionHumanized mouse modelNLRP3 inflammasome pathwayCOVID-19 pathologyCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2Productive viral cycleHyperinflammatory stateChronic stageIL-18Cytokine productionInflammatory cytokinesLung pathologyInflammasome pathwayInterleukin-1De novo emergence of a remdesivir resistance mutation during treatment of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompromised patient: a case report
Gandhi S, Klein J, Robertson AJ, Peña-Hernández MA, Lin MJ, Roychoudhury P, Lu P, Fournier J, Ferguson D, Mohamed Bakhash SAK, Catherine Muenker M, Srivathsan A, Wunder EA, Kerantzas N, Wang W, Lindenbach B, Pyle A, Wilen CB, Ogbuagu O, Greninger AL, Iwasaki A, Schulz WL, Ko AI. De novo emergence of a remdesivir resistance mutation during treatment of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompromised patient: a case report. Nature Communications 2022, 13: 1547. PMID: 35301314, PMCID: PMC8930970, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29104-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionVirologic responsePersistent SARS-CoV-2 infectionResistance mutationsPre-treatment specimensB-cell deficiencyRemdesivir resistanceRemdesivir therapyViral sheddingCase reportAntiviral agentsPatientsCombinatorial therapyInfectionTherapyWhole-genome sequencingTreatmentImportance of monitoringDe novo emergenceFold increaseRNA-dependent RNA polymeraseNovo emergencePotential benefitsMutationsIndolentHigh-affinity, neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can be made without T follicular helper cells
Chen JS, Chow RD, Song E, Mao T, Israelow B, Kamath K, Bozekowski J, Haynes WA, Filler RB, Menasche BL, Wei J, Alfajaro MM, Song W, Peng L, Carter L, Weinstein JS, Gowthaman U, Chen S, Craft J, Shon JC, Iwasaki A, Wilen CB, Eisenbarth SC. High-affinity, neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can be made without T follicular helper cells. Science Immunology 2022, 7: eabl5652. PMID: 34914544, PMCID: PMC8977051, DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abl5652.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionSARS-CoV-2Follicular helper cellsB cell responsesHelper cellsAntibody productionCell responsesSARS-CoV-2 vaccinationB-cell receptor sequencingSevere COVID-19Cell receptor sequencingIndependent antibodiesT cell-B cell interactionsViral inflammationAntiviral antibodiesImmunoglobulin class switchingVirus infectionGerminal centersViral infectionClonal repertoireInfectionAntibodiesClass switchingCOVID-19Patients
2021
A stem-loop RNA RIG-I agonist protects against acute and chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice
Mao T, Israelow B, Lucas C, Vogels CBF, Gomez-Calvo ML, Fedorova O, Breban MI, Menasche BL, Dong H, Linehan M, Alpert T, Anderson F, Earnest R, Fauver J, Kalinich C, Munyenyembe K, Ott I, Petrone M, Rothman J, Watkins A, Wilen C, Landry M, Grubaugh N, Pyle A, Iwasaki A. A stem-loop RNA RIG-I agonist protects against acute and chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. Journal Of Experimental Medicine 2021, 219: e20211818. PMID: 34757384, PMCID: PMC8590200, DOI: 10.1084/jem.20211818.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionChronic SARS-CoV-2 infectionVariants of concernLethal SARS-CoV-2 infectionPost-infection therapyLower respiratory tractPost-exposure treatmentType I interferonSARS-CoV-2Effective medical countermeasuresAdaptive immune systemBroad-spectrum antiviralsContext of infectionSingle doseRespiratory tractViral controlImmunodeficient miceSevere diseaseMouse modelI interferonViral infectionImmune systemInnate immunityDisease preventionConsiderable efficacyLive imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice reveals that neutralizing antibodies require Fc function for optimal efficacy
Ullah I, Prévost J, Ladinsky MS, Stone H, Lu M, Anand SP, Beaudoin-Bussières G, Symmes K, Benlarbi M, Ding S, Gasser R, Fink C, Chen Y, Tauzin A, Goyette G, Bourassa C, Medjahed H, Mack M, Chung K, Wilen CB, Dekaban GA, Dikeakos JD, Bruce EA, Kaufmann DE, Stamatatos L, McGuire AT, Richard J, Pazgier M, Bjorkman PJ, Mothes W, Finzi A, Kumar P, Uchil PD. Live imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice reveals that neutralizing antibodies require Fc function for optimal efficacy. Immunity 2021, 54: 2143-2158.e15. PMID: 34453881, PMCID: PMC8372518, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.08.015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCOVID-19 convalescent subjectsSARS-CoV-2 infectionBioluminescence imagingK18-hACE2 miceLive bioluminescence imagingNatural killer cellsFc effector functionsSARS-CoV-2Convalescent subjectsKiller cellsPotent NAbsImmune protectionInflammatory responseEffector functionsNasal cavityNaB treatmentOptimal efficacyFc functionDepletion studiesMiceNAbsCOVID-19Direct neutralizationInfectionAntibodiesSingle-cell longitudinal analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human airway epithelium identifies target cells, alterations in gene expression, and cell state changes
Ravindra NG, Alfajaro MM, Gasque V, Huston NC, Wan H, Szigeti-Buck K, Yasumoto Y, Greaney AM, Habet V, Chow RD, Chen JS, Wei J, Filler RB, Wang B, Wang G, Niklason LE, Montgomery RR, Eisenbarth SC, Chen S, Williams A, Iwasaki A, Horvath TL, Foxman EF, Pierce RW, Pyle AM, van Dijk D, Wilen CB. Single-cell longitudinal analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human airway epithelium identifies target cells, alterations in gene expression, and cell state changes. PLOS Biology 2021, 19: e3001143. PMID: 33730024, PMCID: PMC8007021, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001143.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionSARS-CoV-2Human bronchial epithelial cellsInterferon-stimulated genesCell state changesAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionCell tropismCoronavirus 2 infectionCoronavirus disease 2019Onset of infectionCell-intrinsic expressionCourse of infectionAir-liquid interface culturesHost-viral interactionsBronchial epithelial cellsSingle-cell RNA sequencingCell typesIL-1Disease 2019Human airwaysDevelopment of therapeuticsDrug AdministrationViral replicationNonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Dampen the Cytokine and Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Chen JS, Alfajaro MM, Chow RD, Wei J, Filler RB, Eisenbarth SC, Wilen CB. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Dampen the Cytokine and Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Journal Of Virology 2021, 95: 10.1128/jvi.00014-21. PMID: 33441348, PMCID: PMC8092681, DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00014-21.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSARS-CoV-2 infectionNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugsCOVID-19 pathogenesisSARS-CoV-2Anti-inflammatory drugsProduction of prostaglandinsCyclooxygenase-2Immune responseNSAID treatmentCyclooxygenase-1Enzymes cyclooxygenase-1Inflammatory responseAbility of NSAIDsAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSARS-CoV-2 vaccinationViral replicationPro-inflammatory cytokine responseCoronavirus 2 infectionExpression of angiotensinRelief of painPro-inflammatory cytokinesCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemicHumoral immune response
2020
Genome-wide CRISPR Screens Reveal Host Factors Critical for SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Wei J, Alfajaro MM, DeWeirdt PC, Hanna RE, Lu-Culligan WJ, Cai WL, Strine MS, Zhang SM, Graziano VR, Schmitz CO, Chen JS, Mankowski MC, Filler RB, Ravindra NG, Gasque V, de Miguel FJ, Patil A, Chen H, Oguntuyo KY, Abriola L, Surovtseva YV, Orchard RC, Lee B, Lindenbach BD, Politi K, van Dijk D, Kadoch C, Simon MD, Yan Q, Doench JG, Wilen CB. Genome-wide CRISPR Screens Reveal Host Factors Critical for SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Cell 2020, 184: 76-91.e13. PMID: 33147444, PMCID: PMC7574718, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.028.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2AnimalsCell LineChlorocebus aethiopsClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsCoronavirusCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19Gene Knockout TechniquesGene Regulatory NetworksGenome-Wide Association StudyHEK293 CellsHMGB1 ProteinHost-Pathogen InteractionsHumansSARS-CoV-2Vero CellsVirus InternalizationConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionSARS-CoV-2Vesicular stomatitis virusGenome-wide CRISPR screenSWI/SNF chromatinSARS-CoV-2 host factorsAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionTherapeutic targetHost factorsCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesisSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionCRISPR screensHost genesGene productsMiddle East respiratory syndrome CoVCoronavirus 2 infectionGenetic hitsHuman cellsSARS-CoV-2 spikeNovel therapeutic targetPotential therapeutic targetVero E6 cellsSARS-CoV-1Small molecule antagonistsMouse model of SARS-CoV-2 reveals inflammatory role of type I interferon signaling
Israelow B, Song E, Mao T, Lu P, Meir A, Liu F, Alfajaro MM, Wei J, Dong H, Homer RJ, Ring A, Wilen CB, Iwasaki A. Mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 reveals inflammatory role of type I interferon signaling. Journal Of Experimental Medicine 2020, 217: e20201241. PMID: 32750141, PMCID: PMC7401025, DOI: 10.1084/jem.20201241.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2AnimalsBetacoronavirusCell Line, TumorCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19DependovirusDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHumansInflammationInterferon Type ILungMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicPandemicsParvoviridae InfectionsPeptidyl-Dipeptidase APneumonia, ViralSARS-CoV-2Signal TransductionVirus ReplicationConceptsSARS-CoV-2Type I interferonMouse modelI interferonRobust SARS-CoV-2 infectionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2SARS-CoV-2 infectionRespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2SARS-CoV-2 replicationCOVID-19 patientsSyndrome coronavirus 2Patient-derived virusesSignificant fatality ratePathological findingsInflammatory rolePathological responseEnzyme 2Receptor angiotensinFatality rateVaccine developmentGenetic backgroundViral replicationCoronavirus diseaseMiceAcute encephalopathy with elevated CSF inflammatory markers as the initial presentation of COVID-19
Farhadian S, Glick LR, Vogels CBF, Thomas J, Chiarella J, Casanovas-Massana A, Zhou J, Odio C, Vijayakumar P, Geng B, Fournier J, Bermejo S, Fauver JR, Alpert T, Wyllie AL, Turcotte C, Steinle M, Paczkowski P, Dela Cruz C, Wilen C, Ko AI, MacKay S, Grubaugh ND, Spudich S, Barakat LA. Acute encephalopathy with elevated CSF inflammatory markers as the initial presentation of COVID-19. BMC Neurology 2020, 20: 248. PMID: 32552792, PMCID: PMC7301053, DOI: 10.1186/s12883-020-01812-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInitial presentationCentral nervous system inflammationSARS-CoV-2 infectionCSF inflammatory markersNervous system inflammationCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokinesSeizure-like activityCOVID-19 infectionVirus SARS-CoV-2COVID-19SARS-CoV-2BackgroundCOVID-19Inflammatory markersNeurologic complicationsSystem inflammationImmunocompromised womanNeurologic manifestationsNeurologic symptomsViral neuroinvasionCase presentationWeInfected patientsMental statusRespiratory pathogensConclusionOur findingsInflammation