The impact of sex in determining tolerance to pathogenic coronavirus infection

Coronaviruses have made a name for themselves in the last twenty years. The three most deadly members of this virus family-SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2-have caused two epidemics and a global pandemic. While these viruses can cause severe illness, perplexingly, many individuals only experience mild infection or no symptoms at all. Some risk factors that increase the likelihood of infection severity are well known, such as old age and certain comorbidities. One factor that may contribute to coronavirus disease severity is sex, as males are more likely to be infected and get severely ill compared to females. However, the underlying biological events that lead to this difference in infection outcomes between males and females has received little scientific study. This project aims to investigate the role of sex hormones in determining disease severity in SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV infection. We will determine how the addition of sex hormones to human cells influences how well the virus is able to survive and multiply. Next, we will assess how the addition of sex hormones affects the defense strategies of human cells when infected. Finally, we will determine if these results can be generalized to more complex animal models, by investigating the role of sex hormones in animals infected with MERS-CoV. Deadly coronaviruses will continue to emerge. By examining the role of sex hormones in determining coronavirus disease severity, this study will improve our understanding of what makes a coronavirus deadly and will highlight the need to consider sex as a biological variable in future coronavirus research.