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Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Production of Pseudotyped Particles to Study Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses in a Biosafety Level 2 Setting
Published on: March 1, 2019
SARS-CoV-2 Delta spike protein enhances the viral fusogenicity and inflammatory cytokine production
Zhujun Ao1, Maggie Jing Ouyang1, Titus Abiola Olukitibi1
1Laboratory of Molecular Human Retrovirology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Abstract:
The Delta variant had spread globally in 2021 and caused more serious disease than the original virus and Omicron variant. In this study, we investigated several virological features of Delta spike protein (SPDelta), including protein maturation, its impact on viral entry of pseudovirus and cell-cell fusion, and its induction of inflammatory cytokine production in human macrophages and dendritic cells. The results showed that SPΔCDelta exhibited enhanced S1/S2 cleavage in cells and pseudotyped virus-like particles (PVLPs). Further, SPΔCDelta elevated pseudovirus entry in human lung cell lines and significantly enhanced syncytia formation. Furthermore, we revealed that SPΔCDelta-PVLPs had stronger effects on stimulating NF-κB and AP-1 signaling in human monocytic THP1 cells and induced significantly higher levels of proinflammatory cytokine, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, released from human macrophages and dendritic cells. Overall, these studies provide evidence to support the important role of SPΔCDelta during virus infection, transmission, and pathogenesis.
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