title: Surface vimentin is critical for the cell entry of SARS-CoV.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) caused a global panic due to its high morbidity and mortality during 2002 and 2003. Soon after the deadly disease outbreak, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was identified as a functional cellular receptor in vitro and in vivo for SARS-CoV spike protein. However, ACE2 solely is not sufficient to allow host cells to become susceptible to SARS-CoV infection, and other host factors may be involved in SARS-CoV spike protein-ACE2 complex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A host intracellular filamentous cytoskeletal protein vimentin was identified by immunoprecipitation and LC-MS/MS analysis following chemical cross-linking on Vero E6 cells that were pre-incubated with the SARS-CoV spike protein. Moreover, flow cytometry data demonstrated an increase of the cell surface vimentin level by 16.5 % after SARS-CoV permissive Vero E6 cells were treated with SARS-CoV virus-like particles (VLPs). A direct interaction between SARS-CoV spike protein and host surface vimentin was further confirmed by far-Western blotting. In addition, antibody neutralization assay and shRNA knockdown experiments indicated a vital role of vimentin in cell binding and uptake of SARS-CoV VLPs and the viral spike protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A direct interaction between vimentin and SARS-CoV spike protein during viral entry was observed. Vimentin is a putative anti-viral drug target for preventing/reducing the susceptibility to SARS-CoV infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. tcy23@cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Yvonne Ting-Chun
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. csc-324@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ssu-Chia
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. f90442001@ntu.edu.tw.|Institute of Microbiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. f90442001@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: I-Yin
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. zoobcd2002@yahoo.com.tw.
authors.forename: Chia-Tsen
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, 112, Taiwan. ygtsay@ym.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Yeou-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Tsay
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. scchang093@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shin C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road, First Section, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. mfchang@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ming-Fu
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D061987:Sf9 Cells; D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018411:Spodoptera; D014709:Vero Cells; D014746:Vimentin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053586:Virus Internalization
chemical_list: D064370:Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; D014746:Vimentin; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2