Regulation of Apoptosis and PANoptosis by Coronavirus: An Overview

Coronaviruses are a class of RNA viruses that cause disease in animals and humans. Zoonotic coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2, can cross species barriers and cause high mortality rates in humans. Coronavirus infection can cause different forms of cell death, among which apoptosis is the earliest and most systematic cell death. PANoptosis is a newly discovered inflammatory programmed cell death regulated by the supramolecular complex known as the PANoptosome. The cell death not only eliminates virus-infected cells but also further promotes innate and adaptive immune processes. Recent studies have shown that the important signaling pathways of apoptosis and PANoptosis induced by coronavirus infection are closely cross-linked, which plays a key role in regulating the replication and pathogenicity of coronavirus. In this review, we first revisit the molecular biology and the replication cycle of coronaviruses, summarize the definitions and characteristics of apoptosis and PANoptosis, and then focus on the current mechanisms of coronavirus-induced apoptosis and PANoptosis, as well as the regulatory mechanisms of these pathways for coronaviruses. We are exploring the detailed molecular mechanism between multiple programmed cell death pathways to provide new ideas for the pathogenic mechanism and drug development of coronavirus.