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Updated: Jun 6, 2025
Cell Type-specific Gene Expression Profiling in the Mouse Liver
Published on: September 17, 2019
SARS-COV-2 ORF9b Dysregulate Fibrinogen and Albumin Genes in a Liver Cell Line
Shirin Jalili1, Seyed Mohammad Ali Hashemi2, Jamal Sarvari2,3
1Institute of police equipment and technologies, policing sciences and social studies research institute, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ORF9b protein upregulates fibrinogen gene expression and downregulates albumin gene expression in liver cells. This finding may explain altered protein levels observed in severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Area of Science:
- * Molecular biology
- * Virology
- * Biochemistry
Background:
- * Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with altered plasma protein levels, including elevated fibrinogen and decreased albumin.
- * These changes may be influenced by proteins from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b protein on fibrinogen and albumin gene expression in Hep-G2 liver cells.
Main Methods:
- * Hep-G2 cells were transfected with a plasmid encoding SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b.
- * ORF9b expression was confirmed using real-time PCR.
- * Expression levels of Fibrinogen α (FGA), Fibrinogen β (FGB), Fibrinogen γ (FGG), and Albumin (ALB) genes were quantified via real-time PCR.
Main Results:
- * SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b significantly upregulated the expression of FGA, FGB, and FGG genes (P<0.05).
- * Albumin (ALB) gene expression was significantly downregulated in cells expressing ORF9b (P=0.028).
Conclusions:
- * SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b may modulate host gene expression, potentially contributing to the pathophysiology of COVID-19.
- * Further research is needed to confirm these findings across different SARS-CoV-2 strains.
Background:
Individuals experiencing severe cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibited elevated fibrinogen levels and decreased albumin levels, potentially linked to the presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins. Consequently, our study endeavors to examine the impact of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b on the expression of fibrinogen and albumin genes within the Hep-G2 cell line.
Methods:
In this study, the Hep-G2 liver cell line was utilized alongside the plasmid pcDNA3.1 hyg+ containing ORF9b from the SARS-CoV-2 strain originating in Wuhan. Transfection procedures were executed, and the transfected cells were selected utilizing hygromycin B. Validation of ORF9b expression was conducted through SYBR green-based real-time PCR, and the expression of the Fibrinogen α (FGA), Fibrinogen β (FGB), Fibrinogen γ (FGG), and Albumin (ALB) genes was quantified using the same method.
Results:
The real-time PCR analysis revealed a significant upregulation of fibrinogen genes-α (P=0.03), β (P=0.02), and γ (P=0.029) in Hep-G2 cells containing ORF9b compared to control cells. Furthermore, the findings indicated a markedly lower expression level of albumin in Hep-G2 cells harboring ORF9b compared to the control cells (P=0.028).
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b could potentially influence the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection by triggering the expression of α, β, and γ fibrinogen gene chains while suppressing the albumin gene. Further investigations are warranted to validate these observations across various SARS-CoV-2 strains exhibiting differing levels of pathogenicity.
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