Exploring how the cell surface SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein modulates innate and adaptive immunity
Aligned with our mission to advance the understanding and impact of microbiology, the Society reached out to our community of microbiologists to share their experiences in responding to SARS-CoV-2. We aim to showcase the perspective of scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic and the variety of roles adopted to mitigate the global crisis.
This case study was written by Alberto D. López-Muñoz, a postdoctoral researcher from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). His account of the pandemic focuses on using immune modulation strategies originally developed for herpesviruses and poxviruses to study SARS-CoV-2; volunteering for the Phase III clinical trial of the NIAID-Moderna COVID-19 vaccine; the difficulties of travel restrictions and being featured in the “Postdoc Profile” series by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
How did you respond to SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I arrived at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in September 2019 with the intention of spending my postdoc studying the influenza virus responsible for the seasonal flu. After the COVID-19 pandemic began a few months later, I switched to studying the novel SARS-CoV-2, taking advantage of my expertise on herpesviruses and poxviruses that had been the focus of my PhD research in Madrid, Spain.
We found that the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein, canonically located in the cytosol, is expressed in great quantities on the cell surface of infected cells. Cell surface N protein is transferred from infected to non-infected neighbouring cells, inhibiting chemotaxis of leukocytes and activating Fc receptor-expressing cells that contribute to the immune response.
Was this response related to your work prior to the outbreak?
It was not. Although coronaviruses are not my major area of expertise, immune modulation strategies are similar between viruses, so I thought I could apply some of the same tools and techniques that I learned with herpes to the novel coronavirus.
What were some of the challenges that you faced during this time?
As a visiting scientist from Europe, I was restricted from travelling to see my relatives for many months. These restrictions were particularly frustrating because I had been vaccinated since August 2020, after volunteering for the Phase III clinical trial of the NIAID-Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
How did your experience throughout the response aid in your development?
Despite the challenges, I chose to focus on the positive: the opportunity to study SARS-CoV-2 and further my research career as a molecular virologist at one of the world’s preeminent institutions for biomedical research. Additionally, being able to witness, from a front-row seat, how the whole process of developing the NIAID-Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was orchestrated from the beginning was very inspiring – both from a scientific and a historic point of view.
Finally, it was very rewarding to participate in the first interview of the “Postdoc Profile” series of the National Institute of Health (NIH) “I am Intramural” Blog, where my profile was featured as a junior scientist pivoting to a new research focus in response to the pandemic.
What can we learn about the importance of microbiology from the COVID-19 pandemic?
This pandemic has evidenced how critical and instrumental investment in microbiology is for the prosperity and wellbeing of modern societies. We are used to saying that this pandemic has been unprecedented, but there were other deadly pandemics in the last century. However, none of those previous pandemics, nor WWI or WWII, were able to paralyse humankind on such a worldwide scale.
How did the Microbiology Society play a role in your response?
I have always found the Annual Conference one of the best scientific scenarios to share my research and the perfect platform to keep myself up to date with the latest findings in the field I am working. I hope to be able to do so this year in Belfast.
References
López-Muñoz, A. D., Kosik, I., Holly, J., Yewdell, J. W. Cell Surface SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Modulates Innate and Adaptive Immunity. bioRxiv [Preprint], 2021.
About the author
Alberto D. López-Muñoz is a postdoctoral researcher from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), where he studies the body’s immune response to viruses. Find out more about Alberto’s research.
