Cited by 500SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchCellular transport and secretionSARS-CoV-2 detection and testing

SARS-CoV-2 infects cells after viral entry via clathrin-mediated endocytosis

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Bayati, Armin, Kumar, Rahul, Francis, Vincent, McPherson, Peter S.·2021·Journal of Biological Chemistry

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Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of COVID-19, so understanding its biology and infection mechanisms is critical to facing this major medical challenge. SARS-CoV-2 is known to use its spike glycoprotein to interact with the cell surface as a first step in the infection process. As for other coronaviruses, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 next undergoes endocytosis, but whether or not this is required for infectivity and the precise endocytic mechanism used are unknown. Using purified spike glycoprotein and lentivirus pseudotyped with spike glycoprotein, a common model of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, we now demonstrate that after engagement with the plasma membrane, SARS-CoV-2 undergoes rapid, clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This suggests that transfer of viral RNA to the cell cytosol occurs from the lumen of the endosomal system. Importantly, we further demonstrate that knockdown of clathrin heavy chain, which blocks clathrin-mediated endocytosis, reduces viral infectivity. These discoveries reveal that SARS-CoV-2 uses clathrin-mediated endocytosis to gain access into cells and suggests that this process is a key aspect of virus infectivity.

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  • Interfering expression of clathrin heavy chain in HEK293 (stably expressing ACE2) limits SARS-CoV-2 viral infectivity.

    “Interfering expression of clathrin heavy chain in HEK293 (stably expressing ACE2), limits SARS-CoV-2 viral infectivity [66].”

    From Insights of Endocytosis Signaling in Health and Disease (2023) · cites this paper as [66]

    In the Results section, CHC knockdown in ACE2-expressing HEK-293T cells reduced infectivity by approximately 65%. The experiment used a lentivirus pseudotyped with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, not authentic SARS-CoV-2, so the claim omits a material qualification. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Bayati, A., Kumar, R., Francis, V., & McPherson, P. S.
Affiliations
Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (CA)
Corresponding author
McPherson, Peter S.
Venue
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
296
Pages
100306
ISSN
0021-9258 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3121790907
Cited by
499
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 150 · 2021: 70 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 1
FWCI
32.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular transport and secretion
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, viral entry, spike protein, clathrin heavy chain, endosomal escape, COVID-19 pandemic, infection mechanism
MeSH terms
A549 Cells, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, SARS-CoV-2, Animals, Chlorocebus aethiops, Endocytosis, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Vectors, Humans, Hydrazones, Protein Binding, Endosomes, Sulfonamides, Vero Cells, Signal Transduction, Lentivirus, Clathrin Heavy Chains, RNA, Small Interfering, Virus Internalization, Thiazolidines, Host-Pathogen Interactions, HEK293 Cells, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

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