论文标题
肝素和新型冠状病毒尖峰糖蛋白之间的遥远序列相似性：潜在的暗示，即在COVID-19中局部铁失调的可能性
Distant sequence similarity between hepcidin and the novel coronavirus spike glycoprotein: a potential hint at the possibility of local iron dysregulation in COVID-19
论文作者
论文摘要
SARS-COV-2病毒的尖峰糖蛋白，导致COVID-19，引起了人们对宿主细胞表面受体的疫苗潜力和结合能力的关注。这项研究重点的大部分集中在峰值蛋白的外生域。胞外域锚定在跨膜区域，然后是细胞质尾巴。在这里，我们报告了冠状病毒尖峰蛋白的富含半胱氨酸的细胞质尾巴与在人类和其他脊椎动物中发现的肝素蛋白之间的遥远序列相似性。肝素被认为是人类铁代谢的关键调节剂。这种初步观察的含义是暗示在冠状病毒研究领域的潜在研究途径，以利用已经建立的有关局部和全身铁调节，细胞因子介导的炎症过程，呼吸道感染和肝素蛋白相互作用的文献。在本报告中未评估可能的同源性问题以及病毒尖峰蛋白和肝素之间的进化联系，但是讨论了其研究的某些情况。
The spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has attracted attention for its vaccine potential and binding capacity to host cell surface receptors. Much of this research focus has centered on the ectodomain of the spike protein. The ectodomain is anchored to a transmembrane region, followed by a cytoplasmic tail. Here we report a distant sequence similarity between the cysteine-rich cytoplasmic tail of the coronavirus spike protein and the hepcidin protein that is found in humans and other vertebrates. Hepcidin is thought to be the key regulator of iron metabolism in humans. An implication of this preliminary observation is to suggest a potential route of investigation in the coronavirus research field making use of an already-established literature on the interplay of local and systemic iron regulation, cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes, respiratory infections and the hepcidin protein. The question of possible homology and an evolutionary connection between the viral spike protein and hepcidin is not assessed in this report, but some scenarios for its study are discussed.
