Akaluc bioluminescence offers superior sensitivity to track in vivo dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Autor: Tomokazu Tamura, Hayato Ito, Shiho Torii, Lei Wang, Rigel Suzuki, Shuhei Tsujino, Akifumi Kamiyama, Yoshitaka Oda, Masumi Tsuda, Yuhei Morioka, Saori Suzuki, Kotaro Shirakawa, Kei Sato, Kumiko Yoshimatsu, Yoshiharu Matsuura, Satoshi Iwano, Shinya Tanaka, Takasuke Fukuhara
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: iScience, Vol 27, Iss 5, Pp 109647- (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2589-0042
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109647
Popis: Summary: Monitoring in vivo viral dynamics can improve our understanding of pathogenicity and tissue tropism. Because the gene size of RNA viruses is typically small, NanoLuc is the primary choice for accommodation within viral genome. However, NanoLuc/Furimazine and also the conventional firefly luciferase/D-luciferin are known to exhibit relatively low tissue permeability and thus less sensitivity for visualization of deep tissue including lungs. Here, we demonstrated in vivo sufficient visualization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using the pair of a codon-optimized Akaluc and AkaLumine. We engineered the codon-optimized Akaluc gene possessing the similar GC ratio of SARS-CoV-2. Using the SARS-CoV-2 recombinants carrying the codon-optimized Akaluc, we visualized in vivo infection of respiratory organs, including the tissue-specific differences associated with particular variants. Additionally, we could evaluate the efficacy of antivirals by monitoring changes in Akaluc signals. Overall, we offer an effective technology for monitoring viral dynamics in live animals.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals