Understanding any similarities between SARS
and COVID-19 inflammation could help in a clinical setting. A protein in the viruses
causing COVID-19 and SARS is almost identical. Researchers propose testing if targeting
COVID-19 with FDA-approved drugs, already tested in mice infected with SARS, could
improve the outcomes for COVID-19 patients experiencing severe respiratory
symptoms.
The finding was a collaborative effort from
teams at KAUST following a comparison of Betacoronavirus
genomes. “We have long-standing expertise in analyzing genomic data at
KAUST’s Computational Bioscience Research Center,” says molecular biologist, Takashi
Gojobori.
Gojobori, Carlos M. Duarte and a team of
scientists compared the genomes of 24 Betacoronaviruses,
including four SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which causes COVID-19. Two of the four were
sequenced in the United States, while the other two were sequenced in China.
“SARS-CoV-2 appears to have recently
evolved from other related Betacoronaviruses,
such as the ones causing SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS),”
explains Intikhab Alam, first author of the study. “We wanted to
understand the genetic make up of SARS-CoV-2. Seeing what has changed
might help find ways to
detect the virus and understand its rapid spread. Seeing what remains
conserved
between these viruses might help predict if therapeutic approaches
developed
for other Betacoronaviruses could
work on SARS-CoV-2,” he says.
Their genomic comparisons followed by
structural analyses found that a small protein that extends across the viral
membrane, called envelope protein E, is almost identical in SARS-CoV-2 and the
SARS virus (called SARS-CoV-1).

Electron micropseope image of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
© Kenan Stocks/Shutterstock
A molecular component of this protein in
the SARS virus helps trigger the release of inflammation-causing substances in
its host. This inflammatory reaction causes fluids to accumulate in the lungs
resulting in breathing difficulties, a condition called acute respiratory
distress syndrome. Scientists studying the SARS virus have found that this
reaction can be inhibited in mice by FDA-approved drugs. “Drugs that inhibit
the envelope protein E of previous SARS viruses should also block the protein
in COVID-19,” says Alam. “Even though these drugs won’t stop the virus from spreading,
we hope they could attenuate or prevent acute respiratory distress syndrome and
help save lives.”
The team is now looking for partner
hospitals in Saudi Arabia to conduct trials of these drugs. They also aim to
use their data to help efforts toward designing an effective vaccine. Their
data is publicly accessible on their Betacoronavirus Pangenome Database. Like other research groups,
they are openly sharing early research related to COVID-19 with the World
Health Organization.