Biology subjects

Tang, X.

Publications and source records attributed to Tang, X..

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Characterization of LC-MS based urine metabolomics in healthy subjects across the life span

Previous studies reported that gender and age could influence urine metabolomics, which should be considered in biomarker discovery. As a consequence, for the baseline of urine metabolomics characteristics, it becomes critical to avoid confounding effects in clinical cohort studies. In this study, we provided a comprehensive lifespan characterization of urine metabolomics in a cohort of 348 healthy children and 315 adults aged 1 to 70 years using liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry. Our results suggested that gender-dependent urine metabolites are much greater in adults than in children. The pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis and alanine metabolism pathways were enriched in early life. Androgen and estrogen metabolism showed high activity during adolescence and youth stages. Pyrimidine metabolism was enriched in the old stage. Based on the above analysis, metabolomic characteristics of each age stage were provided. This work could help us understand the baseline of urine metabolism characteristics and contribute to further studies of clinical disease biomarker discovery.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Transferrin receptor is another receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been suggested as a receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry to cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, no ACE2 inhibitors have shown definite beneficiaries for COVID-19 patients, applying the presence of another receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry. Here we show that ACE2 knockout dose not completely block virus entry, while TfR directly interacts with virus Spike protein to mediate virus entry and SARS-CoV-2 can infect mice with over-expressed humanized transferrin receptor (TfR) and without humanized ACE2. TfR-virus co-localization is found both on the membranes and in the cytoplasma, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 transporting by TfR, the iron-transporting receptor shuttling between cell membranes and cytoplasma. Interfering TfR-Spike interaction blocks virus entry to exert significant anti-viral effects. Anti-TfR antibody (EC50 ~16.6 nM) shows promising anti-viral effects in mouse model. Collectively, this report indicates that TfR is another receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry and a promising anti-COVID-19 target.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Rapid Development of Neutralizing and Diagnostic SARS-COV-2 Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies

The need for high-affinity, SARS-CoV-2-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is critical in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, as such reagents can have important diagnostic, research, and therapeutic applications. Of greatest interest is the ~300 amino acid receptor binding domain (RBD) within the S1 subunit of the spike protein because of its key interaction with the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor present on many cell types, especially lung epithelial cells. We report here the development and functional characterization of 29 nanomolar-affinity mouse SARS-CoV-2 mAbs created by an accelerated immunization and hybridoma screening process. Differing functions, including binding of diverse protein epitopes, viral neutralization, impact on RBD-hACE2 binding, and immunohistochemical staining of infected lung tissue, were correlated with variable gene usage and sequence.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Heterogeneous Mediation Analysis for Causal Inference

DNA methylation (DNAm) has been suggested to play a critical role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), through mediating the relationship between trauma and PTSD. However, this underlying mechanism of PTSD for African Americans still remains unknown. To fill this gap, in this paper, we investigate how DNAm mediates the effects of traumatic experiences on PTSD symptoms in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (DNHS) (2008-2013) which involves primarily African Americans adults. To achieve this, we develop a new mediation analysis approach for high-dimensional potential DNAm mediators. A key novelty of our method is that we consider heterogeneity in mediation effects across sub-populations. Specifically, mediators in different sub-populations could have opposite effects on the outcome, and thus could be difficult to identify under a traditional homogeneous model framework. In contrast, the proposed method can estimate heterogeneous mediation effects and identifies sub-populations in which individuals share similar effects. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods for both homogeneous and heterogeneous data. We also present our mediation analysis results of a dataset with 125 participants and more than 450, 000 CpG sites from the DNHS study. The proposed method finds three sub-groups of subjects and identifies DNAm mediators corresponding to genes such as HSP90AA1 and NFATC1 which have been linked to PTSD symptoms in literature. Our finding could be useful in future finer-grained investigation of PTSD mechanism and in the development of new treatments for PTSD.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

exosome-LncPICALM-AU1 regulates endothelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatopulmonary syndrome

As important mediators of intercellular communication, exosome have can modulate various cellular functions by transferring a variety of intracellular components to target cells. However, little is known about the role of exosome-mediated communication between distant organs. Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe lung injury caused by chronic liver disease. A new long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PICALM-AU1 was found and upregulated in the liver of HPS. It was located in the cholangiocytes of liver and then, secreted as exosome into the serum. PICALM-AU1 carrying serum exosomes induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) of PMVECs and promoted lung injury in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, overexpression of PICALM-AU1 significantly suppressed miR144-3p and subsequently induced ZEB1 expression. Taken together, our findings identified cholangiocyte-derived exosomal lncRNA PICALM-AU1 plays a critical role in the EndMT of HPS lung. And PICALM-AU1 represents a noninvasive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for HPS.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2020

Prime-boost vaccination of mice and Rhesus macaques with two novel adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccine candidates

COVID-19 vaccines are being developed urgently worldwide, among which single-shot adenovirus vectored vaccines represent a major approach. Here, we constructed two novel adenovirus vectored COVID-19 vaccine candidates on simian adenovirus serotype 23 (Sad23L) and human adenovirus serotype 49 vectors (Ad49L) carrying the full-length gene of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S), designated Sad23L-nCoV-S and Ad49L-nCoV-S vaccines, respectively. The immunogenicity elicited by these two vaccine strains was individually evaluated in mice. Specific humoral and cellular immune responses were proportionally observed in a dose-dependent manner, and stronger response was obtained by boosting. Furthermore, five rhesus macaques were intramuscularly injected with a dose of 5x109 PFU Sad23L-nCoV-S vaccine for prime vaccination, followed by boosting with 5x109 PFU of Ad49L-nCoV-S vaccine at 4-week interval. Three macaques were injected with Sad23L-GFP and Ad49L-GFP vectorial viruses as negative controls. Both mice and macaques tolerated well the vaccine inoculations without detectable clinical or pathologic changes. In macaques, prime-boost vaccination regimen induced high titers of 103.16 S-binding antibody (S-BAb), 102.75 cell receptor binding domain (RBD)-BAb and 102.38 neutralizing antibody (NAb) to pseudovirus a week after boosting injection, followed by sustained high levels over 10 weeks of observation. Robust IFN-{gamma} secreting T-cell response (712.6 SFCs/106 cells), IL-2 secreting T-cell response (334 SFCs/106 cells) and intracellular IFN-{gamma} expressing CD4+/CD8+ T cell response (0.39%/0.55%) to S peptides were detected in the vaccinated macaques. It was concluded that prime-boost immunization with Sad23L-nCoV-S and Ad49L-nCoV-S vaccines can safely elicit strong immunity in animals in preparation of clinical phase 1/2 trials.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Expression in the Normal and COVID-19 Pancreas

Diabetes is associated with increased mortality from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Given literature suggesting a potential association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and diabetes induction, we examined pancreatic expression of the key molecule for SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). Specifically, we analyzed five public scRNAseq pancreas datasets and performed fluorescence in situ hybridization, Western blotting, and immunolocalization for ACE2 with extensive reagent validation on normal human pancreatic tissues across the lifespan, as well as those from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. These in silico and ex vivo analyses demonstrated pancreatic expression of ACE2 is prominent in pancreatic ductal epithelium and the microvasculature, with rare endocrine cell expression of this molecule. Pancreata from COVID-19 patients demonstrated multiple thrombotic lesions with SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein expression primarily limited to ducts. SARS-CoV-2 infection of pancreatic endocrine cells, via ACE2, appears an unlikely central pathogenic feature of COVID-19 as it relates to diabetes.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2020

MicroRNA variants and HLA-miRNA interactions are novel rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility factors

ObjectiveAlthogh Genome-wide association studies have identified >100 variants for rheumatoid arthritis (RA),the reported genetic variants only explain <40% of RA heritability. We conducted a systemic association study between common East-Asian miRNA SNPs with RA in a large Han Chinese cohort to explain missing heritability and identify miRNA epistatic interactions. Methods4 HLA SNPs (HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB9, HLA-DQB1 and TNFAIP3) and 225 common SNPs located in miRNA which might influence the miRNA target binding or pre-miRNA stability were genotyped in 1,607 rheumatoid arthritis and 1,580 matched normal individuals. A meta-analysis with previous GWAS studies (4,873 RA cases and 17,642 controls) was performed to discovery another novel miRNA RA-associated SNPs. Results2 novel SNPs including rs1414273 (miR-548ac, OR=0.84, P=8.26x10-4) and rs2620381 (miR-627, OR=0.77, P=2.55x10-3) conferred significant association with RA. Individuals carried 8 risk alleles showed 15.38 (95%CI: 4.69-50.49, P<1.0x10-6) times more risk to be affected by RA. In addition, rs5997893 (miR-3928) showed significant epistasis effect with rs4947332 (HLA-DRB1, OR=4.23, P=0.04) and rs2967897 (miR-5695) with rs7752903 (TNFAIP3, OR=4.43, P=0.03). Finally, we demonstrated targets of the significant miRNAs showed enrichment in immune related genes (P=2.0x10-5) and FDA approved drug target genes (P=0.014). Conclusions6 novel miRNA SNPs including rs1414273 (miR-548ac, P=8.26x10-4), rs2620381 (miR-627, P=2.55x10-3), rs4285314 (miR-3135b, P=1.10x10-13), rs28477407 (miR-4308, P=3.44x10-5), rs5997893 (miR-3928, P=5.9x10-3) and rs45596840 (miR-4482, P=6.6x10-3) were confirmed to be significantly associated with RA in a Chinese population. Our study suggests that miRNAs might be interesting targets to accelerate the understanding of the pathogenesis and drug development for rheumatoid arthritis.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

St. Jude Cloud a Pediatric Cancer Genomic Data Sharing Ecosystem

Effective data sharing is key to accelerating research that will improve the precision of diagnoses, efficacy of treatments and long-term survival of pediatric cancer and other childhood catastrophic diseases. We present St. Jude Cloud (https://www.stjude.cloud), a cloud-based data sharing ecosystem developed via collaboration between St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, DNAnexus, and Microsoft, for accessing, analyzing and visualizing genomic data from >10,000 pediatric cancer patients, long-term survivors of pediatric cancer and >800 pediatric sickle cell patients. Harmonized genomic data totaling 1.25 petabyes on St. Jude Cloud include 12,104 whole genomes, 7,697 whole exomes and 2,202 transcriptomes, which are freely available to researchers worldwide. The resource is expanding rapidly with regular data uploads from St. Judes prospective clinical genomics programs, providing public access as soon as possible rather than holding data back until publication. Three interconnected apps within the St. Jude Cloud ecosystem--Genomics Platform, Pediatric Cancer Knowledgebase (PeCan) and Visualization Community--provide a unique experience for simultaneously performing advanced data analysis in the cloud and enhancing the pediatric cancer knowledgebase. We demonstrate the value of the St. Jude Cloud ecosystem through use cases that classify 48 pediatric cancer subtypes by gene expression profiling and map mutational signatures across 35 subtypes of pediatric cancer.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

A simple method for isolating high-quality RNA from kenaf containing high polysaccharide and polyphenol contents

The isolation of high-quality RNA from kenaf is crucial for genetic and molecular biology studies. However, high levels of polysaccharide and polyphenol compounds in kenaf tissues could irreversibly bind to and coprecipitate with RNA, which complicates RNA extraction. In the present study, we proposed a simplified, time-saving and low-cost extraction method for isolating high quantities of high-quality RNA from several different kenaf tissues. RNA quality was measured for yield and purity, and the proposed protocol yielded high quantities of RNA (10.1-12.9 μg/g·FW). Spectrophotometric analysis showed that A260/280 ratios of RNA samples were in the range of 2.11 to 2.13, and A260/230 ratios were in the range of 2.04-2.24, indicating that the RNA samples were free of polyphenols, polysaccharides, and protein contaminants after isolation. The method of RNA extraction presented here was superior to the conventional CTAB method in terms of RNA isolation efficiency and was more sample-adaptable and cost-effective than commercial kits. Furthermore, to confirm downstream amenability, the high-quality RNA obtained from this method was successfully used for RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. We provide an efficient and low-cost method for extracting high quantities of high-quality RNA from plants that are rich in polyphenols and polysaccharides, and this method was also validated for the isolation of high-quality RNA from other plants.View Full Text

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

Structural insight into outer membrane asymmetry maintenance of Gram-negative bacteria by the phospholipid transporter MlaFEDB

The asymmetric phospholipid outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria serves as the first line of defense against cytotoxic substances such as antibiotics. The Mla pathway is known to maintain the lipid asymmetry of the OM by transporting phospholipids between the inner and outer membranes. Six Mla proteins MlaFEDBCA are involved, with the ABC transporter MlaFEDB acts through a mechanism yet to be elucidated. Here we determine cryo-EM structures of MlaFEDB in apo, phospholipid-, ADP- or AMP-PNP-bound state to 3.3-3.75 [A] resolution and establish a proteoliposome-based transport system containing MlaFEDB, MlaC and MlaA/OmpF to reveal the transport direction of phospholipids. Mutagenetic in vitro transport assays and in vivo sensitivity assays reveal functional residues which recognize and transport phospholipids as well as regulate the activity and structural stability of the MlaFEDB complex. Our work provides molecular basis for understanding the mechanism of the Mla pathway which could be targeted for antimicrobial drug development.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Stop codon readthrough of a POU transcription factor regulates steroidogenesis and developmental transitions

Translational stop codon readthrough generates C-terminally extended protein isoforms. While evidence mounts of readthrough as a global phenomenon, proofs of its functional consequences are scarce. We show that readthrough of the mRNA for the Drosophila POU/Oct transcription factor Drifter occurs at a high rate and in a spatiotemporal manner in vivo, reaching above 50% in the prothoracic gland. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that readthrough of drifter is conserved among Dipterans, with C-terminal extensions harboring intrinsically disordered regions, and amino acids streches implied in transcriptional activation. The C-terminally extended Drifter isoform is required for maintaining normal levels of the growth hormone ecdysone through regulation of its biosynthetic genes, acting in synergy with the transcription factor Molting defective. A 14-bp deletion that abolished readthrough, caused prolonged larval development and delayed metamorphosis. This study provides a striking example of alternative genetic decoding that feeds into the progression from one life cycle stage to another.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Identification of Candidate COVID-19 Therapeutics using hPSC-derived Lung Organoids

Summary ParagraphThe SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused already over 3.5 million COVID-19 cases and 250,000 deaths globally. There is an urgent need to create novel models to study SARS-CoV-2 using human disease-relevant cells to understand key features of virus biology and facilitate drug screening. As primary SARS-CoV-2 infection is respiratory-based, we developed a lung organoid model using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that could be adapted for drug screens. The lung organoids, particularly aveolar type II cells, express ACE2 and are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Transcriptomic analysis following SARS-CoV-2 infection revealed a robust induction of chemokines and cytokines with little type I/III interferon signaling, similar to that observed amongst human COVID-19 pulmonary infections. We performed a high throughput screen using hPSC-derived lung organoids and identified FDA-approved drug candidates, including imatinib and mycophenolic acid, as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry. Pre- or post-treatment with these drugs at physiologically relevant levels decreased SARS-CoV-2 infection of hPSC-derived lung organoids. Together, these data demonstrate that hPSC-derived lung cells infected by SARS-CoV-2 can model human COVID-19 disease and provide a valuable resource to screen for FDA-approved drugs that might be repurposed and should be considered for COVID-19 clinical trials.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Nsr1, a nitrogen source-regulated microprotein, confers an alternative mechanism of G1/S transcriptional activation in budding yeast

Commitment to cell division at the end of G1 phase, termed Start in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is strongly influenced by nutrient availability. To identify new dominant activators of Start that might operate under different nutrient conditions, we screened a genome-wide ORF overexpression library for genes that bypass a Start arrest caused by absence of the G1 cyclin Cln3 and the transcriptional activator Bck2. We recovered a hypothetical gene YLR053c, renamed NRS1 for Nitrogen-Responsive Start regulator 1, which encodes a poorly characterized 108 amino acid microprotein. Endogenous Nrs1 was nuclear-localized, restricted to poor nitrogen conditions, induced upon mTORCl inhibition, and cell cycle-regulated with a peak at Start. NRS1 interacted genetically with SWI4 and SWI6, which encode subunits of the main G1/S transcription factor complex SBF. Correspondingly, Nrs1 physically interacted with Swi4 and Swi6 and was localized to G1/S promoter DNA. Nrs1 exhibited inherent transactivation activity and fusion of Nrs1 to the SBF inhibitor Whi5 was sufficient to suppress other Start defects. Nrs1 appears to be a recently evolved microprotein that rewires the G1/S transcriptional machinery under poor nitrogeny conditions. Author SummarUnicellular microorganisms must adapt to ever-changing nutrient conditions and hence must adjust cell growth and proliferation to maximize fitness. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commitment to cell division, termed Start, is heavily influenced by nutrient availability. Our understanding of how Start is activated is based mainly on experiments carried out under rich nutrient conditions. To identify potential new Start regulators specific to poor nutrient environments, we screened for genes able to bypass a genetic Start arrest caused by loss of the G1 cyclin Cln3 and the transcriptional activator Bck2. This screen uncovered YLR053c, which we renamed NRS1 for Nitrogen-Responsive Start regulator. Sequence analysis across yeast species indicated that Nrs1 is a recently-evolved microprotein. We showed that NRS1 is nutrient- and cell cycle-regulated, and directly binds the main G1/S transcription factor complex SBF. We demonstrated that Nrs1 has an intrinsic trans-activation activity and provided genetic evidence to suggest that Nrs1 can bypass the requirement for normal Cln3-dependent activation of G1/S transcription. These results uncover a new mechanism of Start activation and illustrate how microproteins can rapidly emerge to rewire fundamental cellular processes.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

scSTATseq: Diminishing Technical Dropout Enables Core Transcriptome Recovery and Comprehensive Single-cell Trajectory Mapping

The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing has provided illuminating information on complex systems. However, large numbers of genes tend to be scarcely detected in common scRNAseq approaches due to technical dropout. Although bioinformatics approaches have been developed to approximate true expression profiles, assess the dropout events on single-cell transcriptomes is still consequently challenging. In this report, we present a new plate-based method for scRNAseq that relies on Tn5 transposase to tagment cDNA following second strand synthesis. By utilizing pre-amplification tagmentation step, scSTATseq libraries are insulated against technical dropout, allowing for detailed analysis of gene-gene co-expression relationships and mapping of pathway trajectories. The entire scSTATseq library construction workflow can be completed in 7 hours, and recover transcriptome information on up to 8,000 protein-coding genes. Investigation of osteoclast differentiation using this workflow allowed us to identify novel markers of interest such as Rab15. Overall, scSTATseq is an efficient and economical method for scRNAseq that compares favorably with existing workflows.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Potential host range of multiple SARS-like coronaviruses and an improved ACE2-Fc variant that is potent against both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a currently uncontrolled pandemic and the etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is important to study the host range of SARS-CoV-2 because some domestic species might harbor the virus and transmit it back to humans. In addition, insight into the ability of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-like viruses to utilize animal orthologs of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 might provide structural insight into improving ACE2-based viral entry inhibitors. Here we show that ACE2 orthologs of a wide range of domestic and wild animals support entry of SARS-CoV-2, as well as that of SARS-CoV-1, bat coronavirus RaTG13, and a coronavirus isolated from pangolins. Some of these species, including camels, cattle, horses, goats, sheep, pigs, cats, and rabbits may serve as potential intermediate hosts for new human transmission, and rabbits in particular may serve as a useful experimental model of COVID-19. We show that SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1 entry could be potently blocked by recombinant IgG Fc-fusion proteins of viral spike protein receptor-binding domains (RBD-Fc) and soluble ACE2 (ACE2-Fc). Moreover, an ACE2-Fc variant, which carries a D30E mutation and has ACE2 truncated at its residue 740 but not 615, outperforms all the other ACE2-Fc variants on blocking entry of both viruses. Our data suggest that RBD-Fc and ACE2-Fc could be used to treat and prevent infection of SARS-CoV-2 and any new viral variants that emerge over the course of the pandemic.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Potent human neutralizing antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection

The pandemic caused by emerging coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 presents a serious global public health emergency in urgent need of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry depends on binding between the viral Spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) target cell receptor. Here, we report on the isolation and characterization of 206 RBD-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from single B cells of eight SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. These mAbs come from diverse families of antibody heavy and light chains without apparent enrichment for particular families in the repertoire. In samples from one patient selected for further analyses, we found coexistence of germline and germline divergent clones. Both clone types demonstrated impressive binding and neutralizing activity against pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2. However, the antibody neutralizing potency is determined by competition with ACE2 receptor for RBD binding. Surprisingly, none of the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies nor the infected plasma cross-reacted with RBDs from either SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV although substantial plasma cross-reactivity to the trimeric Spike proteins from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV was found. These results suggest that antibody response to RBDs is viral species-specific while that cross-recognition target regions outside the RBD. The specificity and neutralizing characteristics of this plasma cross-reactivity requires further investigation. Nevertheless, the diverse and potent neutralizing antibodies identified here are promising candidates for prophylactic and therapeutic SARS-CoV-2 interventions.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Viral Architecture of SARS-CoV-2 with Post-Fusion Spike Revealed by Cryo-EM

Since December 2019, the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread from Wuhan, China to the world, it has caused more than 87,000 diagnosed cases and more than 3,000 deaths globally. To fight against COVID-19, we carried out research for the near native SARS-CoV-2 and report here our preliminary results obtained. The pathogen of the COVID-19, the native SARS-CoV-2, was isolated, amplified and purified in a BSL-3 laboratory. The whole viral architecture of SARS-CoV-2 was examined by transmission electron microscopy (both negative staining and cryo-EM). We observed that the virion particles are roughly spherical or moderately pleiomorphic. Spikes have nail-like shape towards outside with a long body embedded in the envelope. The morphology of virion observed in our result indicates that the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 is in post-fusion state, with S1 disassociated. This state revealed by cryo-EM first time could provide an important information for the identification and relevant clinical research of this new coronavirus.

microbiology↗