The Menachery Lab
@TheMenacheryLab
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Lab chasing low hanging pebbles & shiny fruit #coronavirus #SARSCoV2 #SARS #COVID19 "We all work on COVID, I'm not special" *tweets are our own
Atlanta, GA
Joined July 2016
News~ With a mix of excitement & melancholy, I announce that the Menachery Lab will be relocating to @EmoryUniversity @EmoryPediatrics @EmoryVaccineCtr this summer.
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RT @sci_questions: šØSecond study from the lab. @CellReports .SARS-CoV- and SARS-CoV-2-like viruses are found in insectivorous bats, but theā¦.
cell.com
Baid et al. show that insectivorous E. fuscus bat cells have evolved an advantageous early innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection relative to human cells. Additionally, they extend molecular...
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2 in a row in the @JVirology. A new paper from our group & the new Johnson lab at UTMB. Here, we find multiple different variant mutations in the SR rich domain of N facilitate improved infection of #SARS2.
journals.asm.org
After its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapted to human infection, acquiring numerous mutations across its genome. Many of these mutations remain uncharacterized. This study examines a mutational...
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Our new paper on #SARS2 furin cleavage site is now out at @JVirology. Study examines disruption (rather than deletion) of the FCS & maintains the longer S1/S2 loop. FCS disruption attenuates pathogenesis but not required (but helps) transmission.
journals.asm.org
The presence of the furin cleavage site (FCS) within the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 distinguishes it from other sarbecoviruses found in nature. While prior works have deleted the FCS, these mutant...
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Many thanks to the collaborators at @ihii_utmb @UTMB_WRCEVA @EmoryUniversity @EmoryVaccineCtr @EmoryPediatrics.
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Overall, the study demonstrates that the FCS in addition to the extended S1/S2 loop play a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. It also shows that while not strictly required, the FCS improves transmission efficiency in the hamster direct contact model.
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Notably, we found that the PQQAR mutant was able to transmit in all hamster pairs following direct contact. Yet, the PQQAR mutant was out competed by WT in the direct competition. The results indicate the FCS is not strictly required, but does impact transmission efficiency.
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In this manuscript, we disrupted rather than deleted the FCS (PRRAR -> PQQAR). The PQQAR mutant maintains the longer S1/S2 loop, but ablates FCS activity. The PQQAR mutant SARS2 was attenuated in vitro & in vivo, had reduced spike processing, & altered usage of host TMPRSS2.
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We also showed that deletion of an upstream motif (QTQTN), but leaving the FCS intact, also attenuated pathogenesis, altered spike processing, & changed protease usage. Both studies showed that the S1/S2 loop length was important for pathogenesis.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This study demonstrates that in addition to the furin cleavage site (FCS), both the length/composition of the exterior loop and glycosylation of the QTQTN motif are necessary for efficient SARS-CoV-2...
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The SARS2 spike has 2 unusual features, the FCS in the S1/S2 loop & the extension of this loop (17AA vs 13AA in other sarbeCoVs). Our prior work showed deleting the FCS attenuated infection & pathogenesis by altering spike processing.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus (CoV) producing worldwide pandemic1, has a furin cleavage site (PRRAR) in its spike protein that is absent in other group 2B CoVs 2. To explore whether the furin...
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A new preprint from our group about the importance of the SARS-CoV-2 spike furin cleavage site (FCS) for pathogenesis and possibly transmission.
biorxiv.org
The SARS-CoV-2 spike, key to viral entry, has two features that differentiate it from other sarbecoviruses: the presence of a furin cleavage site (FCS; PRRAR sequence) and an extended S1/S2 loop...
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RT @greg_folkers: JVI: Pandemic risk stemming from the bovine #H5N1 outbreak: an account of the knowns and unknowns. by Anice C. Lowen etā¦.
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RT @DuckSwabber: H1N1-immune ferrets also had H5N1 virus in organs outside the respiratory tract + less H5N1 virus in nasal secretions andā¦.
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RT @brainaddiction: It's clear that many do not understand what @NIH-funded research does to improve health. It's time to revive a study puā¦.
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RT @UTMBProvost: Dr. Janice Jones Endsley has been named Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, effective March 1. An accompā¦.
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RT @Vasilakis_Lab: We are looking forward welcoming you Feb 11 for Dr. Lytras' @SpyrosLytras webinar on "Evolutionary interactions betweenā¦.
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RT @VirusesMDPI: š¤Which Virus Will Cause the Next Pandemic?āļø. by Neumann & Kawaoka. A must-read for anyone concerned about global health!ā¦.
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RT @GlobalVirusNews: Call for Applications: GVN Rising Star Program. The GVN invites early-career virologists to apply for the 2-year Risinā¦.
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RT @sarah_h_ross: #Immunology out now @ScienceMagazine. An unstructured region within MAVS interacts with cellular, rather than viral, RNA.ā¦.
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RT @SutharLab: How do labs worldwide assess SARS-CoV-2 antigenicity consistently? Our collaborative study with WHO & 15 labs reveals insighā¦.
mdpi.com
Setting up a global SARS-CoV-2 surveillance system requires an understanding of how virus isolation and propagation practices, use of animal or human sera, and different neutralisation assay platfo...
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