The replication of coronavirus, a family of important animal and human pathogens, is closely associated with the cellular membrane compartments, especially the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Coronavirus infection of cultured cells was previously shown to cause ER stress and induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), a process that aims to restore the ER homeostasis by global translation shutdown and increasing the ER folding capacity. However under prolonged ER stress, UPR can also induce apoptotic cell death. Accumulating evidence from recent studies has shown that induction of ER stress and UPR may constitute a major aspect of coronavirus-host interaction. Activation of the three branches of UPR modulates a wide variety of signaling pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases activation, autophagy, apoptosis and innate immune response. ER stress and UPR activation may therefore contribute significantly to the viral replication and pathogenesis during coronavirus infection. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on coronavirus-induced ER stress and UPR activation, with emphasis on their cross-talking to apoptotic signaling.

Induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) is an adaptive cellular response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that allows a cell to reestablish ER homeostasis. However, under severe and persistent ER stress, prolonged UPR may activate unique pathways that lead to cell death. In this study, we investigated the activation of the protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) pathway of UPR in cells infected with the coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and its relationship with IBV-induced apoptosis. The results showed moderate induction of PERK phosphorylation in IBV-infected cells. Meanwhile, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) was upregulated at the protein level in the infected cells, resulting in the induction in trans of the transcription factor ATF3 and the proapoptotic growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein GADD153. Knockdown of PERK by small interfering RNA (siRNA) suppressed the activation of GADD153 and the IBV-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, knockdown of protein kinase R (PKR) by siRNA and inhibition of the PKR kinase activity by 2-aminopurine (2-AP) also reduced the IBV-induced upregulation of GADD153 and apoptosis induction. In GADD153-knockdown cells, IBV-induced apoptosis was suppressed and virus replication inhibited, revealing a key role of GADD153 in IBV-induced cell death and virus replication. Analysis of the pathways downstream of GADD153 revealed much more activation of the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) pathway in GADD153-knockdown cells during IBV infection, indicating that GADD153 may modulate apoptosis through suppression of the pathway. This study provides solid evidence that induction of GADD153 by PERK and PKR plays an important regulatory role in the apoptotic process triggered by IBV infection.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a highly contagious infection in cloven-hoofed animals. The format of FMD virus-like particles (VLP) as a non-replicating particulate vaccine candidate is a promising alternative to conventional inactivated FMDV vaccines. In this study, we explored a prokaryotic system to express and assemble the FMD VLP and validated the potential of VLP as an FMDV vaccine candidate. VLP composed entirely of FMDV (Asia1/Jiangsu/China/2005) capsid proteins (VP0, VP1 and VP3) were simultaneously produced as SUMO fusion proteins by an improved SUMO fusion protein system in E. coli. Proteolytic removal of the SUMO moiety from the fusion proteins resulted in the assembly of VLP with size and shape resembling the authentic FMDV. Immunization of guinea pigs, swine and cattle with FMD VLP by intramuscular inoculation stimulated the FMDV-specific antibody response, neutralizing antibody response, T-cell proliferation response and secretion of cytokine IFN-γ. In addition, immunization with one dose of the VLP resulted in complete protection of these animals from homologous FMDV challenge. The 50% protection dose (PD₅₀) of FMD VLP in cattle is up to 6.34. These results suggest that FMD VLP expressed in E. coli are an effective vaccine in guinea pigs, swine and cattle and support further development of these VLP as a vaccine candidate for protection against FMDV.

The unfolded-protein response (UPR) is a signal transduction cascade triggered by perturbation of the homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). UPR resolves ER stress by activating a cascade of cellular responses, including the induction of molecular chaperones, translational attenuation, ER-associated degradation, and other mechanisms. Under prolonged and irremediable ER stress, however, the UPR can also trigger apoptosis. Here, we report that in cells infected with the avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), ER stress was induced and the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway of UPR was activated. Knockdown and overexpression experiments demonstrated that IRE1α protects infected cells from IBV-induced apoptosis, which required both its kinase and RNase activities. Our data also suggest that splicing of XBP1 mRNA by IRE1α appears to convert XBP1 from a proapoptotic XBP1u protein to a prosurvival XBP1s protein. Moreover, IRE1α antagonized IBV-induced apoptosis by modulating the phosphorylation status of the proapoptotic c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the prosurvival RAC–alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (Akt). Taken together, the data indicate that the ER stress sensor IRE1α is activated in IBV-infected cells and serves as a survival factor during coronavirus infection. IMPORTANCE Animal coronaviruses are important veterinary viruses, which could cross the species barrier, becoming severe human pathogens. Molecular characterization of the interactions between coronaviruses and host cells is pivotal to understanding the pathogenicity and species specificity of coronavirus infection. It has been well established that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is closely associated with coronavirus replication. Here, we report that inositol-requiring protein 1 alpha (IRE1α), a key sensor of ER stress, is activated in cells infected with the avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Moreover, IRE1α is shown to protect the infected cells from apoptosis by modulating the unfolded-protein response (UPR) and two kinases related to cell survival. This study demonstrates that UPR activation constitutes a major aspect of coronavirus-host interactions. Manipulations of the coronavirus-induced UPR may provide novel therapeutic targets for the control of coronavirus infection and pathogenesis.