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Updated: Aug 16, 2025
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Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
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SARS-CoV-2 Exploits Non-Canonical Autophagic Processes to Replicate, Mature, and Egress the Infected Vero E6 Cells
Juraj Koči1, Marta Novotová2, Monika Sláviková1
1Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 23, 2022
Summary
SARS-CoV-2 infection hijacks cell machinery, utilizing autophagy-like processes for virus maturation and release. This study reveals how these pathways aid in viral egress, deviating from typical autophagy responses.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection impacts host cell cytoplasm to facilitate viral replication.
- The role of autophagy-like processes, activated during infection, remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of autophagy-like processes in SARS-CoV-2 replication and egress.
- To characterize the interaction between viral components and cellular structures involved in autophagy.
Main Methods:
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to visualize ultrastructural changes in infected cells.
- Autophagy PCR array was employed to analyze the expression of autophagy-related genes.
Main Results:
- SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells showed double-membrane vesicles, phagophores, and phagosomes engulfing viral particles and cellular debris.
- Phagosomes interacted with viral components, mitochondria, and lipid droplets, transforming into egress vacuoles for virus release.
- Significant upregulation of 10 and downregulation of 8 autophagy gene markers were observed.
Conclusions:
- Autophagy-like processes are crucial for SARS-CoV-2 maturation and the release of virus particles from infected cells.
- The observed cellular response indicates a non-canonical autophagy pathway utilized by SARS-CoV-2.
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