Attenuation of SARS coronavirus by a short hairpin RNA expression plasmid targeting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Virology. 2004 Jun 20;324(1):84-9. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2004.03.031.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious and sometimes a lethal disease, which spread over five continents in 2002-2003. Laboratory analysis showed that the etiologic agent for SARS is a new type of coronavirus. Currently, there is no specific treatment for this disease. RNA interference (RNAi) is a recently discovered antiviral mechanism in plant and animal cells that induces a specific degradation of double-stranded RNA. Here, we provide evidences that RNAi targeting at coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression plasmids can specifically inhibit expression of extraneous coronavirus RDRP in 293 and HeLa cells. Moreover, this construct significantly reduced the plaque formation of SARS coronaviruses in Vero-E6 cells. The data may suggest a new approach for treatment of SARS patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasmids*
  • RNA Interference*
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / genetics
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / therapy*
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / enzymology*
  • Vero Cells

Substances

  • RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase