How SARS-CoV-2 Hijacks Our Immune Cells

In a study published in the journalSignal Transduction and Targeted Therapyon February 27, a team of scientists led by Dr.CHEN Jianfeng from the CAS Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Dr.JIANG Shibo from Fudan University has discovered a new mechanism by which the SARSCoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, infiltrates and dysregulates our immune cells (doi: 10.1038/s41392-023-01348-0).The researchers found that the virus uses certain proteins, known as integrins, on the surface of T cells to gain entry and disrupt their normal functioning.

The study reveals that the virus’s spike protein,which it uses to bind to cells, has three potential integrinbinding motifs.These motifs allow the virus to latch onto the integrins on T cells, a type of white blood cell crucial for immune responses.Once inside, the virus causes the T cells to become hyperactivated, leading to an overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, a condition known as a cytokine storm, often seen in severe COVID-19 cases.

Given that Integrins act as SARS-CoV-2 receptors on T cells and mediate entry and dysregulation of T cells by SARS-CoV-2, blocking this interaction may be a strategy for preventing SARS-CoV-2 entry into T cells and associated immune dysregulation in COVID-19 patients.This discovery provides a new perspective on the virus’s ability to infect various tissues and cells, including those with low expression of the previously identified SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2.It also sheds light on the mechanisms behind the severe immune response seen in some COVID-19 patients.

New study shows that SARS-Cov-2 uses certain proteins, known as integrins, on the surface of T cells to gain entry and disrupt their normal functioning.(Credit: Pixabay)