A protein that protects the lungs against pathogens has the potential to thwart SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) researchers have said.
The discovery, made by a team led by university professor Wang Jiu-yao (王志堯), was published by Frontier in Immunology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, on Tuesday last week.
The human surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a molecule whose presence on the mucosal surfaces of the lungs plays “an immune surveillance role against pulmonary pathogens,” the university said in a statement, citing the team.
People with SARS have been reported to have higher levels of serum SP-D, which is a known a biomarker of pneumonia and tuberculosis, the team said.
Studies have suggested that serum SP-D can recognize the spike proteins — the protrusions on viruses that give them access to host cells — on SARS-CoV, which causes SARS, and interact with the human coronavirus 229E strain to inhibit viral infection in humans.
Previous studies have also found that a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rfhSP-D) can act against a range of viral pathogens, including the influenza A virus, the statement said.
Based on the findings, the research team examined whether rfhSP-D could also protect against SARS-CoV-2, and the results were positive, it said.
The team found that the rfhSP-D protein bound to the S1 spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and inhibited interaction with test cells with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, through which SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells.
The rfhSP-D protein had the same protective effect on cultured cells expressing ACE2 that were infected by laboratory-created pseudoviruses, called pseudo typed lentivrial particles, the statement said.
The results highlight the therapeutic potential of rfhSP-D in SARS-CoV-2 infection and merit further study, it said.
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