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Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Real-Time cAMP Detection in Cells Using cADDis Biosensor
Published on: March 22, 2024
SARS-CoV-2 infection activates CREB/CBP in cellular cyclic AMP-dependent pathways
Qi Yang1,2, Jielin Tang1,2,3, Juan Cao2
1Chen Xinwen Lab in Department of Basic Research, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has affected the lives of billions of individuals. However, the host-virus interactions still need further investigation to reveal the underling mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Here, transcriptomics analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection highlighted possible correlation between host-associated signaling pathway and virus. In detail, cAMP-protein kinase (PKA) pathway has an essential role in SARS-CoV-2 infection, followed by the interaction between cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) and CREB-binding protein (CBP) could be induced and leading to the enhancement of CREB/CBP transcriptional activity. The replication of Delta and Omicron BA.5 were inhibited by about 49.4% and 44.7% after knockdown of CREB and CBP with small interfering RNAs, respectively. Furthermore, a small organic molecule naphthol AS-E (nAS-E), which targets on the interaction between CREB and CBP, potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) infection with comparable the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50 ) 1.04 μM to Remdesivir 0.57 μM. Compared with WT virus, EC50 in Calu-3 cells against Delta, Omicron BA.2, and Omicron BA.5 were, on average, 1.5-fold, 1.1-fold, and 1.5-fold higher, respectively, nAS-E had a satisfied antiviral effect against Omicron variants. Taken together, our study demonstrated the importance of CREB/CBP induced by cAMP-PKA pathway during SARS-CoV-2 infection, and further provided a novel CREB/CBP interaction therapeutic drug targets for COVID-19.
Insights
Researchers found that the cAMP-PKA pathway and CREB/CBP interaction are crucial for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Targeting this interaction with naphthol AS-E shows promise for treating COVID-19, including variants.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, necessitates understanding host-virus interactions for pathogenesis.
- Host-virus interactions remain incompletely understood, hindering effective therapeutic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of host-associated signaling pathways in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19 by analyzing host-virus interactions.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptomics analysis to identify relevant host signaling pathways.
- Gene knockdown using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to assess the role of CREB and CBP.
- Antiviral assays to evaluate the efficacy of naphthol AS-E against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and variants.
Main Results:
- The cAMP-PKA pathway and CREB/CBP interaction are implicated in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Knockdown of CREB and CBP significantly inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron BA.5 variants.
- Naphthol AS-E demonstrated potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 WT, Delta, Omicron BA.2, and BA.5 infections, with favorable EC50 values.
Conclusions:
- The CREB/CBP interaction, induced by the cAMP-PKA pathway, plays a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.
- Targeting the CREB/CBP interaction presents a novel therapeutic strategy for COVID-19 treatment, including against emerging variants.
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