International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Feb 2022)
Loss of Detection of sgN Precedes Viral Abridged Replication in COVID-19-Affected Patients—A Target for SARS-CoV-2 Propagation
- Veronica Ferrucci,
- Pasqualino de Antonellis,
- Fabrizio Quarantelli,
- Fatemeh Asadzadeh,
- Francesca Bibbò,
- Roberto Siciliano,
- Carmen Sorice,
- Ida Pisano,
- Barbara Izzo,
- Carmela Di Domenico,
- Angelo Boccia,
- Maria Vargas,
- Biancamaria Pierri,
- Maurizio Viscardi,
- Sergio Brandi,
- Giovanna Fusco,
- Pellegrino Cerino,
- Livia De Pietro,
- Ciro Furfaro,
- Leonardo Antonio Napolitano,
- Giovanni Paolella,
- Lidia Festa,
- Stefania Marzinotto,
- Maria Concetta Conte,
- Ivan Gentile,
- Giuseppe Servillo,
- Francesco Curcio,
- Tiziana de Cristofaro,
- Francesco Broccolo,
- Ettore Capoluongo,
- Massimo Zollo
Affiliations
- Veronica Ferrucci
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Pasqualino de Antonellis
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Fabrizio Quarantelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche (DMMBM), University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Fatemeh Asadzadeh
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Francesca Bibbò
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Roberto Siciliano
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Carmen Sorice
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Ida Pisano
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Barbara Izzo
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Carmela Di Domenico
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Angelo Boccia
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Maria Vargas
- Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Biancamaria Pierri
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Naples, Italy
- Maurizio Viscardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Naples, Italy
- Sergio Brandi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Naples, Italy
- Giovanna Fusco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Naples, Italy
- Pellegrino Cerino
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Naples, Italy
- Livia De Pietro
- U.O.C. Pneumologia, Ospedale Boscotrecase—Asl Napoli3 Sud, 80042 Naples, Italy
- Ciro Furfaro
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio e Anatomia Patologica, Nola Hospital, Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80035 Naples, Italy
- Leonardo Antonio Napolitano
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio e Anatomia Patologica, Nola Hospital, Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80035 Naples, Italy
- Giovanni Paolella
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Lidia Festa
- Unità Speciale di Continuità Assistenziale (USCA), Asl Benevento, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Stefania Marzinotto
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio, Università degli Studi di Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
- Maria Concetta Conte
- Unità Speciale di Continuità Assistenziale (USCA), Asl Benevento, 82100 Benevento, Italy
- Ivan Gentile
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Giuseppe Servillo
- Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Francesco Curcio
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio, Università degli Studi di Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
- Tiziana de Cristofaro
- IEOS-Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology G. Salvatore, National Research Council, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Francesco Broccolo
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
- Ettore Capoluongo
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Massimo Zollo
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, 80145 Naples, Italy
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23041941
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 23,
no. 4
p. 1941
Abstract
The development of prophylactic agents against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a public health priority in the search for new surrogate markers of active virus replication. Early detection markers are needed to follow disease progression and foresee patient negativization. Subgenomic RNA transcripts (with a focus on sgN) were evaluated in oro/nasopharyngeal swabs from COVID-19-affected patients with an analysis of 315 positive samples using qPCR technology. Cut-off Cq values for sgN (Cq O-methyl antisense RNA (related to the sgN sequence) can impair SARS-CoV-2 N protein synthesis, viral replication, and syncytia formation in human cells (i.e., HEK-293T cells overexpressing ACE2) upon infection with VOC Alpha (B.1.1.7)-SARS-CoV-2 variant, defining the use that this procedure might have for future therapeutic actions against SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords