Deng Yuru, Angelova Angelina
Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China.
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut Galien Paris-Saclay UMR 8612, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Mar 12;9:630242. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.630242. eCollection 2021.
Coronaviruses have lipid envelopes required for their activity. The fact that coronavirus infection provokes the formation of cubic membranes (CM) (denoted also as convoluted membranes) in host cells has not been rationalized in the development of antiviral therapies yet. In this context, the role of bioactive plasmalogens (vinyl ether glycerophospholipids) is not completely understood. These lipid species display a propensity for non-lamellar phase formation, facilitating membrane fusion, and modulate the activity of membrane-bound proteins such as enzymes and receptors. At the organism level, plasmalogen deficiency is associated with cardiometabolic disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. A straight link is perceived with the susceptibility of such patients to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) infection, the severity of illness, and the related difficulty in treatment. Based on correlations between the coronavirus-induced modifications of lipid metabolism in host cells, plasmalogen deficiency in the lung surfactant of COVID-19 patients, and the alterations of lipid membrane structural organization and composition including the induction of CM, we emphasize the key role of plasmalogens in the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, or MERS-CoV) entry and replication in host cells. Considering that plasmalogen-enriched lung surfactant formulations may improve the respiratory process in severe infected individuals, plasmalogens can be suggested as an anti-viral prophylactic, a lipid biomarker in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections, and a potential anti-viral therapeutic component of lung surfactant development for COVID-19 patients.
冠状病毒具有其活性所需的脂质包膜。冠状病毒感染会在宿主细胞中引发立方膜（CM）（也称为卷曲膜）的形成，这一事实在抗病毒治疗的发展中尚未得到合理的解释。在这种情况下，生物活性缩醛磷脂（乙烯基醚甘油磷脂）的作用尚未完全明确。这些脂质种类具有形成非层状相的倾向，有助于膜融合，并调节膜结合蛋白（如酶和受体）的活性。在生物体水平上，缩醛磷脂缺乏与包括人类肥胖症和2型糖尿病在内的心脏代谢紊乱有关。人们认为这类患者对SARS-CoV-2（严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2）感染的易感性、疾病的严重程度以及相关的治疗困难之间存在直接联系。基于冠状病毒诱导的宿主细胞脂质代谢改变、COVID-19患者肺表面活性剂中缩醛磷脂缺乏以及脂质膜结构组织和组成的改变（包括CM的诱导）之间的相关性，我们强调缩醛磷脂在冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2、SARS-CoV或MERS-CoV）进入宿主细胞并在其中复制过程中的关键作用。考虑到富含缩醛磷脂的肺表面活性剂制剂可能改善严重感染个体的呼吸过程，缩醛磷脂可被建议作为一种抗病毒预防剂、SARS-CoV和SARS-CoV-2感染中的脂质生物标志物以及COVID-19患者肺表面活性剂开发中的潜在抗病毒治疗成分。
