How lipids influence the proliferation of coronaviruses
Virology research team deciphers the role of sphingolipids in the formation of replication organelles
Advertisement
coronaviruses modify the cells they infect in order to reproduce optimally. A decisive step in this process is the formation of special structures inside the cell - so-called replication organelles. Coronaviruses significantly reorganize the inner cell membranes. This process is largely dependent on the formation of certain membrane components known as sphingolipids. Researchers from the Institute of Medical Virology at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and the Institute of Pharmacy at Freie Universität Berlin have now discovered how sphingolipid metabolism and the enzymes involved influence the reproduction of coronaviruses.
"The strength of the study lies in the comparison of several human coronaviruses," says JLU virologist Dr. Christin Müller-Ruttloff, lead last author of the study. "These findings improve our understanding of how different coronaviruses reshape the sphingolipid landscape of their host cells to ensure their proliferation." Targeting the sphingolipid metabolism could open up new research approaches for antiviral strategies.
The investigations showed that the enzyme group of sphingomyelinases in particular plays a decisive role in an early step of virus replication: the formation of replication organelles. Virologist Florian Salisch (JLU), first author of the study, explains: "Coronaviruses initiate a massive remodeling of intracellular membranes in order to force the cells to form numerous replication organelles, inside which the production of viral components then begins." Sphingolipids form important building blocks of these structures, and the sphingomyelinases are actively involved in their formation.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
Original publication
Salisch F., Schumacher F., Gärtner U., Kleuser B., Ziebuhr J., Müller-Ruttloff C. Targeting sphingolipid metabolism: inhibition of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 impairs coronaviral replication organelle formation. mBio0:e00084-25
Other news from the department science
