tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Dent Sci
. 2022 Aug 26.
doi: 10.1016/j.jds.2022.08.016. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein induces cell apoptosis in rat taste buds
Toru Yamamoto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuhei Koyama[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tomoaki Ujita[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emi Sawada[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naotaka Kishimoto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kenji Seo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections can cause loss or alteration of taste and smell as early symptoms or sequelae, but the detailed mechanism behind this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces taste cell apoptosis and expression of the apoptosis-related cytokine TNF-α in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay results revealed a significantly higher apoptosis index for taste cells in the SARS-CoV-2 group than for those in the control group. An immunohistochemistry analysis indicated significantly more TNF-α-positive cells in the SARS-CoV-2 group compared with the control group. These data suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein promotes taste cell apoptosis and the release of apoptosis-related cytokine TNF-α, implicating its contribution to the taste malfunction caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Keywords: Apoptosis; COVID-19; Rat; SARS-CoV-2; TNF-α; Taste dysfunction.
. 2022 Aug 26.
doi: 10.1016/j.jds.2022.08.016. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein induces cell apoptosis in rat taste buds
Toru Yamamoto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yuhei Koyama[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tomoaki Ujita[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emi Sawada[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naotaka Kishimoto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kenji Seo[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36043125
- PMCID: PMC9411143
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2022.08.016
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections can cause loss or alteration of taste and smell as early symptoms or sequelae, but the detailed mechanism behind this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces taste cell apoptosis and expression of the apoptosis-related cytokine TNF-α in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay results revealed a significantly higher apoptosis index for taste cells in the SARS-CoV-2 group than for those in the control group. An immunohistochemistry analysis indicated significantly more TNF-α-positive cells in the SARS-CoV-2 group compared with the control group. These data suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein promotes taste cell apoptosis and the release of apoptosis-related cytokine TNF-α, implicating its contribution to the taste malfunction caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Keywords: Apoptosis; COVID-19; Rat; SARS-CoV-2; TNF-α; Taste dysfunction.