The SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Mpro Causes Microvascular Brain Pathology by Cleaving NEMO in Brain Endothelial Cells
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can damage cerebral small vessels and cause neurological symptoms. Here we describe structural changes in cerebral small vessels of patients with COVID-19 and elucidate potential mechanisms underlying the vascular pathology. In brains of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected individuals and animal models, we found an increased number of empty basement membrane tubes, so-called string vessels representing remnants of lost capillaries. We obtained evidence that brain endothelial cells are infected and that the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro) cleaves NEMO, the essential modulator of nuclear factor-κB. By ablating NEMO, Mpro induces the death of human brain endothelial cells and the occurrence of string vessels in mice. Deletion of receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 3, a mediator of regulated cell death, blocks the vessel rarefaction and disruption of the blood–brain barrier due to NEMO ablation. Importantly, a pharmacological inhibitor of RIPK signaling prevented the Mpro-induced microvascular pathology. Our data suggest RIPK as a potential therapeutic target to treat the neuropathology of COVID-19.
Reference
Wenzel, J., Lampe, J., Müller-Fielitz, H., Schuster, R., Zille, M., Müller, K., ... & Schwaninger, M. (2021). The SARS-CoV-2 main protease Mpro causes microvascular brain pathology by cleaving NEMO in brain endothelial cells. Nature Neuroscience, 24(11), 1522-1533.
- iNeuMab™ Anti-Tau Antibody (NRP-0422-P1686) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P1686)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-TREM2 BBB Shuttle Antibody (NRZP-1022-ZP4114) (Cat#: NRZP-1022-ZP4114)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-Tau Antibody (NRP-0422-P1684) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P1684)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-SEZ6 Antibody (NRP-0422-P517) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P517)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-ApoC3 BBB Shuttle Antibody (NRZP-1022-ZP3503) (Cat#: NRZP-1022-ZP3503)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-Tau Antibody (NRP-0422-P2275) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P2275)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-TNFα BBB Shuttle Antibody (NRZP-1022-ZP4105) (Cat#: NRZP-1022-ZP4105)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-CD20 Antibody (NRP-0422-P1230) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P1230)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-pTau Antibody (NRP-0422-P1719) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P1719)
- iNeuMab™ Anti-Tau Antibody (NRP-0422-P2293) (Cat#: NRP-0422-P2293)
- Mouse Glioma Cell Line GL-261-Luc (Cat#: NCL-2108P06)
- Green Fluorescent BACE1 Cell Lines (Cat#: NCL2110P214)
- Human Blood Brain Barrier Model (Cat#: NCL-2103-P187)
- Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells (Cat#: NRZP-1122-ZP113)
- Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells (Cat#: NCL2110P145)
- Mouse Microglia from C57BL/6 (Cat#: NCL-21P6-082)
- Human Brain Astroblastoma U-87 MG (Cat#: NCL2110P117)
- Rat Retinal Muller Cell Line, Immortalized (Cat#: NCL-21P6-192)
- Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (Cat#: NCL-2103-P133)
- Human Glial (Oligodendrocytic) Hybrid Cell Line (MO3.13) (Cat#: NCL-2108P34)
- Beta Amyloid (1-42), Aggregation Kit (Cat#: NRZP-0323-ZP200)
- Beta Amyloid (1-40), Aggregation Kit (Cat#: NRZP-0323-ZP199)
- Amyloid beta 1-42 Kit (Cat#: NRP-0322-P2170)
- Human GFAP ELISA Kit [Colorimetric] (Cat#: NPP2011ZP383)
- Human Tau Aggregation Kit (Cat#: NRP-0322-P2173)
- Alpha Synuclein Aggregation Kit (Cat#: NRZP-1122-ZP15)
- Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation Assay Kit (Cat#: NRZP-1122-ZP37)
- Human Poly ADP ribose polymerase,PARP Assay Kit (Cat#: NRZP-1122-ZP62)
- Dextran, NHS Activated (Cat#: NRZP-0722-ZP124)
- AAV2 Full Capsids, Reference Standards (Cat#: NTC2101070CR)
- AAV2/9-hEF1a-fDIO-eNpHR 3.0-mCherry-WPRE-pA (Cat#: NTA-2012-ZP78)
- VSV-eGFP (Cat#: NTA-2011-ZP20)
- Mouse Parkinson disease (autosomal recessive, early onset) 7 (Park7) (NM_020569) clone, Untagged (Cat#: NEP-0621-R0133)
- Lenti of Mouse synuclein, alpha (Snca) transcript variant (NM_001042451) ORF clone, mGFP Tagged (Cat#: NEP-0521-R0864)
- ABCA1 Antisense Oligonucleotide (NV-2106-P27) (Cat#: NV-2106-P27)
- Tau Antisense Oligonucleotide (IONIS-MAPTRx) (Cat#: NV-2106-P29)
- Human superoxide dismutase 3, extracellular (SOD3) (NM_003102) ORF clone, Untagged (Cat#: NEP-0521-R0808)
- Rat Parkinson disease (autosomal recessive, juvenile) 2, parkin (Park2) (NM_020093) ORF clone/lentiviral particle, Myc-DDK Tagged (Cat#: NEP-0621-R0041)
- Human apolipoprotein E (APOE) (NM_000041) ORF clone, Untagged (Cat#: NEP-0421-R0232)
- Lenti of Human TAR DNA binding protein (TARDBP) (NM_007375) ORF clone, mGFP Tagged (Cat#: NEP-0521-R0832)
- Human huntingtin (HTT) (NM_002111) ORF clone, Myc-DDK Tagged (Cat#: NEP-0521-R0497)
- App Rat amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein (App)(NM_019288) ORF clone, Untagged (Cat#: NEP-0421-R0053)
- NeuroBiologics™ Rat Cerebrospinal Fluid (Cat#: NRZP-0822-ZP496)
- NeuroBiologics™ Monkey Cerebrospinal Fluid (Cat#: NRZP-0822-ZP495)
- NeuroBiologics™ Pig Cerebrospinal Fluid (Cat#: NRZP-0822-ZP498)
- NeuroBiologics™ Mouse Cerebrospinal Fluid (Cat#: NRZP-0822-ZP497)
- NeuroBiologics™ Human Cerebrospinal Fluid (Cat#: NRZP-0822-ZP491)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-TNFR BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP501)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-NAGLU BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP506)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-IDUA BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP498)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-idursulfase BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP497)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-GDNF BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP500)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-IDS BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP503)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-TNFR BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP510)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-ASA BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP504)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-Erythropoietin BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP499)
- NeuroPro™ Anti-EPO BBB Shuttle Protein (Cat#: NRZP-0423-ZP508)