Immunomodulatory properties of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus proteins

Viral pandemics sometimes pose a threat to humanity. COVID-19 with which I just happened struggling, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, requires immediate development of an effective one therapies and effective, safe vaccines. In the course of their evolution, viruses have evolved diverse immunomodulation strategies - manipulation of our immune system, which can affect not only the course of a given disease itself, but also affect susceptibility to other infections and effectiveness vaccines. Therefore, in order to control an infection or successfully prevent it with vaccines - we should learn as much as possible about the immunomodulatory strategies of the virus. Due to its recent emergence among people, despite the extremely intense efforts of scientists from around the world, our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 "escaping" from the immune system is limited. We know very little about the inhibition of specific (acquired) responses. Although SARS-CoV-2 is similar to its better-known coronavirus "cousins" SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, it has also unique genetic characteristics, as are the unique characteristics of the COVID-19 disease itself, especially in the early stages. Therefore, we can only speculate that SARS-CoV-2 uses the same immunomodulatory mechanisms like other coronaviruses, especially when it comes to the production of interferons Type I, we can still discover completely new rules for this "escape". This justifies the need for projects devoted to the study of SARS-CoV-2 interaction with the immune system. We are a research team that studies viruses in the context of interacting with the immune system, specializing for many years in the study of herpes viruses - viruses that are masters of immunomodulation. We plan to contribute to the basic research of SARS-CoV-2, by analyzing the immunomodulatory properties of individual coronavirus proteins, using our knowledge, developed methodology and experience gained on herpesviral models. We assume examine the basic cellular immune processes, both inhibition of the non-specific response, especially the production and action of type I interferons, and the inhibition of viral antigen presentation from in combination with class I and II MHC molecules. The jump to a new host - human - is it zbats, or pangolins, had to be associated with the acquisition of the ability to inhibit cellular restrictive factors. We plan to investigate the ability of SARS-CoV-2 proteins to inhibit tetrine (protein BST-2), which can "stick" viruses to the surface of the cell, making it difficult for their release. So inhibiting properties have been attributed to coronaviruses, just like the herpesviruses we have studied before. And in Finally, there is a concern that when co-infected with two human respiratory viruses - SARS-CoV2 and the influenza virus, there may be interactions that exacerbate the course of the disease. The interaction of the two viruses, however, have not yet been studied at the molecular level, so we include them in ours project. In order to determine the immunomodulatory properties of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, we want to apply the same research approach as previously in the studies that led to the identification of the inhibitor bovine herpesvirus type 1 immune system. We want to use the material collected in the research herpesvirus, optimized in our team. We have a suitable research workshop for this, a our research may constitute a starting point for future detailed research, e.g .: z the use of chemical inhibitors, and contribute to a better understanding of immunopathogenesis COVID-19.