Johnson Emma Lee, Ohkawa Yuki, Kanto Noriko, Fujinawa Reiko, Kuribara Taiki, Miyoshi Eiji, Taniguchi Naoyuki
Department of Glyco-Oncology and Medical Biochemistry, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan; Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Clinical Investigation, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Department of Glyco-Oncology and Medical Biochemistry, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan.
Cell Stress Chaperones. 2024 Apr;29(2):227-234. doi: 10.1016/j.cstres.2024.03.002. Epub 2024 Mar 5.
Dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and other antigen-presenting cells express various C-type lectin receptors that function to recognize the glycans associated with pathogens. The dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) binds various pathogens such as HIV glycoprotein 120, the Ebola glycoprotein, hemagglutinin, and the dengue virus glycoprotein in addition to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and also triggers antigen-presenting cell endocytosis and immune escape from systemic infections. Many studies on the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with glycans have been published, but the underlying mechanism by which intracellular signaling occurs remains unclear. In this study, we report that the S1 spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 induces the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) in THP-1 cells, a DC-SIGN-expressing human monocytic leukemic cell line. On the other hand, the phosphorylation level of NF-κB remained unchanged under the same conditions. These data suggest that the major cell signaling pathway regulated by the S1 spike protein is the ERK pathway, which is superior to the NF-κB pathway in these DC-SIGN-expressing THP-1 cells and may contribute to immune hyperactivation in SARS-CoV-2 infections. Additionally, several glycans such as mannans, mannosylated bovine serum albumin, the serum amyloid beta protein, and intracellular adhesion molecule 3 suppressed ERK phosphorylation, suggesting that these molecules are target molecules for SARS-CoV-2 infection by suppressing immune hyperactivation that occurs in the ERK signaling pathway.
树突状细胞、巨噬细胞、中性粒细胞和其他抗原呈递细胞表达多种C型凝集素受体,其功能是识别与病原体相关的聚糖。树突状细胞特异性细胞间黏附分子-3结合非整合素(DC-SIGN)除了结合严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)刺突蛋白外,还能结合多种病原体,如人类免疫缺陷病毒糖蛋白120、埃博拉病毒糖蛋白、血凝素和登革病毒糖蛋白,并且还会触发抗原呈递细胞的内吞作用以及全身感染的免疫逃逸。关于SARS-CoV-2刺突蛋白与聚糖结合的许多研究已经发表,但细胞内信号传导发生的潜在机制仍不清楚。在本研究中,我们报告SARS-CoV-2的S1刺突蛋白可诱导THP-1细胞(一种表达DC-SIGN的人单核细胞白血病细胞系)中细胞外信号调节激酶(ERK)的磷酸化。另一方面,在相同条件下,核因子κB(NF-κB)的磷酸化水平保持不变。这些数据表明,S1刺突蛋白调节的主要细胞信号通路是ERK通路,在这些表达DC-SIGN的THP-1细胞中,ERK通路优于NF-κB通路,并且可能导致SARS-CoV-2感染中的免疫过度激活。此外,几种聚糖,如甘露聚糖、甘露糖基化牛血清白蛋白、血清淀粉样β蛋白和细胞间黏附分子3可抑制ERK磷酸化,这表明这些分子是SARS-CoV-2感染的靶分子,通过抑制ERK信号通路中发生的免疫过度激活来发挥作用。