SARS样冠状病毒感染蝙蝠细胞后的干扰素应答研究

SARS冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）是2003年全球流行的严重急性呼吸综合征的病原，在其溯源研究中我们发现了一类SARS样冠状病毒长期被蝙蝠携带，其中一些可以利用人受体从而可能传播于人。研究显示蝙蝠SARS样冠状病毒可以对小鼠致病，然而无论是自然状态下还是人工感染时都极可能不对蝙蝠致病。是什么让蝙蝠如此特殊呢？我们推测蝙蝠有不同于人的抗病毒免疫系统。SARS-CoV 在感染早、晚期通过调节干扰素表达对人致病，而本项目探究SARS样冠状病毒感染蝙蝠细胞后的干扰素反应：感染蝙蝠和人上皮细胞中模拟早期感染；感染蝙蝠和小鼠免疫细胞中模拟晚期感染。项目结果将确认SARS样冠状病毒感染蝙蝠细胞后的干扰素反应与人有何不同，为最终揭示该类病毒与蝙蝠长期共存的分子机制提供了证据。

SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the disease agents of Sever Acurate Respirotory Sydrome worldwide pandemic in 2003. In tracing the source we found SARS-like coronavirus (SL-CoV), a group of viruses that are long-term carried by bats. Some of the SL-CoV utilize human entry receptor thus possess the possibility of spillover to human. Research show SL-CoV is pathogenic to mice, yet it appears to be harmless to bats under natural or experimental infections. What makes bats so special? We presume that they may have different antiviral immune system to human. SARS-CoV is pathogenic to human as it modulated host interferon response during different infection stages. In this project, we study the interferon responses induced by SL-CoV infected bat cells: mimic early SL-CoV infection using bat and human epithelial cells while late infection using bat and mouse immune cells. This project will confirm whether SL-CoV infect bat cells induce different interferon response to human, which provides evidence for understanding of the molecular mechanism of bats co-exist with SL-CoV.