The diverse role of heparan sulfate and other GAGs in SARS-CoV-2 infections and therapeutics
Authors:
Friederike Eilts a b 1, Sarah Bauer a 1, Keith Fraser c 1, Jonathan S. Dordick a c d, Michael W. Wolff b e, Robert J. Linhardt a c d f, Fuming Zhang a
Affiliation:
aDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
bInstitute of Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM), Giessen, Germany
cDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
dDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
eFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), Giessen, Germany
fDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
Description:
In December 2019, the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which infects host cells primarily through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. In addition to ACE2, several studies have shown the importance of heparan sulfate (HS) on the host cell surface as a co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2-binding. This insight has driven research into antiviral therapies, aimed at inhibiting the HS co-receptor-binding, e.g., by glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a family of sulfated polysaccharides that includes HS. Several GAGs, such as heparin (a highly sulfated analog of HS), are used to treat various health indications, including COVID-19. This review is focused on current research on the involvement of HS in SARS-CoV-2 infection, implications of viral mutations, as well as the use of GAGs and other sulfated polysaccharides as antiviral agents.