Seeding Brain Protein Aggregation by SARS-CoV-2 as a Possible Long-Term Complication of COVID-19 Infection
Omid Tavassoly, Farinaz Safavi, Iman Tavassoly
Abstract
Postinfection complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still unknown, and one of the long-term concerns in infected people are brain pathologies. The question is that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may be an environmental factor in accelerating the sporadic neurodegeneration in the infected population. In this regard, induction of protein aggregation in the brain by SARS-CoV-2 intact structure or a peptide derived from spike protein subunits needs to be considered in futures studies. In this paper, we discuss these possibilities using pieces of evidence from other viruses.
Topics & Concepts
CoronavirusSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)NeurodegenerationPopulationVirologyMedicine2019-20 coronavirus outbreakBetacoronavirusImmunologyNeuroscienceBiologyDiseaseOutbreakPathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Environmental healthSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchLong-Term Effects of COVID-19Infectious Encephalopathies and Encephalitis