Seeding Brain Protein Aggregation by SARS-CoV-2 as a Possible Long-Term Complication of COVID-19 Infection

ACS Chem Neurosci. 2020 Nov 18;11(22):3704-3706. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00676. Epub 2020 Nov 4.

Abstract

Postinfection complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still unknown, and one of the long-term concerns in infected people are brain pathologies. The question is that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may be an environmental factor in accelerating the sporadic neurodegeneration in the infected population. In this regard, induction of protein aggregation in the brain by SARS-CoV-2 intact structure or a peptide derived from spike protein subunits needs to be considered in futures studies. In this paper, we discuss these possibilities using pieces of evidence from other viruses.

Keywords: Brain; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; functional amyloids; neurodegeneration; protein aggregation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus / metabolism*
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Brain / pathology
  • Brain / virology
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / complications*
  • Coronavirus Infections / metabolism*
  • Coronavirus Infections / pathology
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / complications*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / metabolism*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / pathology
  • Protein Aggregates / physiology*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Protein Aggregates