Establishment of well-differentiated camelid airway cultures to study Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus

In 2012, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in Saudi Arabia and was mostly associated with severe respiratory illness in humans. Dromedary camels are the zoonotic reservoir for MERS-CoV. To investigate the biology of MERS-CoV in camelids, we developed a well-differentiated airway epithelial cell (AEC) culture model for Llama glama and Camelus bactrianus. Histological characterization revealed progressive epithelial cellular differentiation with well-resemblance to autologous ex vivo tissues. We demonstrate that MERS-CoV displays a divergent cell tropism and replication kinetics profile in both AEC models. Furthermore, we observed that in the camelid AEC models MERS-CoV replication can be inhibited by both type I and III interferons (IFNs). In conclusion, we successfully established camelid AEC cultures that recapitulate the in vivo airway epithelium and reflect MERS-CoV infection in vivo. In combination with human AEC cultures, this system allows detailed characterization of the molecular basis of MERS-CoV cross-species transmission in respiratory epithelium. 

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Update: Severe Respiratory Illness Associated With Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)-Worldwide, 2012-2013

American Journal of Transplantation ◽

10.1111/ajt.12456 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2492-2495 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Severe Respiratory Illness

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Characterization of Human Coronaviruses on Well-Differentiated Human Airway Epithelial Cell Cultures

Coronaviruses - Methods in Molecular Biology ◽

10.1007/978-1-4939-2438-7_8 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 73-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Hulda R. Jonsdottir ◽

Ronald Dijkman

Keyword(s):

Epithelial Cell ◽

Cell Cultures ◽

Airway Epithelial Cell ◽

Airway Epithelial ◽

Epithelial Cell Cultures ◽

Human Airway ◽

Human Airway Epithelial Cell ◽

Well Differentiated ◽

Human Coronaviruses

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Real-time characterization of risks of death associated with the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in the Republic of Korea, 2015

BMC Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12916-015-0468-3 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Kenji Mizumoto ◽

Akira Endo ◽

Gerardo Chowell ◽

Yuichiro Miyamatsu ◽

Masaya Saitoh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Real Time ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Republic Of Korea ◽

The Republic

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Structure and oligomerization state of the C-terminal region of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus nucleoprotein

Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology ◽

10.1107/s2059798318014948 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 8-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Thi Hong Van Nguyen ◽

Julie Lichière ◽

Bruno Canard ◽

Nicolas Papageorgiou ◽

Sarah Attoumani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Structural Information ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

X Ray Scattering ◽

Nucleoprotein N ◽

High Degree ◽

Genome Encapsidation

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a human pathogen responsible for a severe respiratory illness that emerged in 2012. Structural information about the proteins that constitute the viral particle is scarce. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the nucleoprotein (N) in charge of RNA genome encapsidation, the structure of the C-terminal domain of N from MERS-CoV obtained using single-crystal X-ray diffraction is reported here at 1.97 Å resolution. The molecule is present as a dimer in the crystal structure and this oligomerization state is confirmed in solution, as measured by additional methods including small-angle X-ray scattering measurements. Comparisons with the structures of the C-terminal domains of N from other coronaviruses reveals a high degree of structural conservation despite low sequence conservation, and differences in electrostatic potential at the surface of the protein.

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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus not detected in children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness in Amman, Jordan, March 2010 to September 2012

Clinical Microbiology and Infection ◽

10.1111/1469-0691.12438 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 678-682 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

N. Khuri-Bulos ◽

D.C. Payne ◽

X. Lu ◽

D. Erdman ◽

L. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Acute Respiratory Illness

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Covid-19: The Wuhan Pandemic

Journal of Bahria University Medical and Dental College ◽

10.51985/jbumdc2020009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 251-253

Author(s):

Tooba Masood

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Large Family ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Human Beings ◽

The World ◽

Novel Virus ◽

Prevention Guidelines

Coronavirus belongs to a large family of viruses that usually cause respiratory illness in human beings that can be mild and severe depending upon the strain. In 2002, the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) reported more than 8000 infected cases with 774 mortalities. In 2012, the outbreak of MERS (middle east respiratory syndrome) infected around 2494 people and 858 deaths were reported according to the WHO. In January 2020, a new strain of coronavirus named 2019-nCoV has been identified in China. The number of confirmed cases has been increasing reaching 5,593,631 cases worldwide with 353,334 deaths up till 28th May 2020 according to WHO situation report-129. Concerned authorities are working on minimizing its spread. Prevention guidelines have been released by WHO, hoping to control the transmission and save the world from the effects of this novel virus.

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Surface-aerosol stability and pathogenicity of diverse MERS-CoV strains from 2012 - 2018

10.1101/2021.02.11.429193 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Neeltje van Doremalen ◽

Michael Letko ◽

Robert J. Fischer ◽

Trenton Bushmaker ◽

Claude Kwe Yinda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Natural Variation ◽

Small Animal ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Environmental Stability ◽

Small Animal Model ◽

Surface Stability ◽

Viral Surveillance ◽

Severe Respiratory Illness ◽

Reduced Surface

AbstractMiddle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a coronavirus that infects both humans and dromedary camels and is responsible for an ongoing outbreak of severe respiratory illness in humans in the Middle East. While some mutations found in camel-derived MERS-CoV strains have been characterized, the majority of natural variation found across MERS-CoV isolates remains unstudied. Here we report on the environmental stability, replication kinetics and pathogenicity of several diverse isolates of MERS-CoV as well as SARS-CoV-2 to serve as a basis of comparison with other stability studies. While most of the MERS-CoV isolates exhibited similar stability and pathogenicity in our experiments, the camel derived isolate, C/KSA/13, exhibited reduced surface stability while another camel isolate, C/BF/15, had reduced pathogenicity in a small animal model. These results suggest that while betacoronaviruses may have similar environmental stability profiles, individual variation can influence this phenotype, underscoring the importance of continual, global viral surveillance.

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