ORIP, NIH, and Other Resources for Coronaviruses Research

The NPRCs are an ORIP-sponsored national network of seven facilities that together serve as a national scientific resource that provides animals, expertise, and specialized facilities and equipment to scientists conducting research with nonhuman primates.

Information from the NPRCs:

• NPRCs for the general public: nprc.org
• NPRCs for researchers: nprcresearch.org
• NPRCs’ COVID-19 research: nprc.org/research/nprcs-begin-covid-19-research
• NPRC Pathogen Detection Working Group’s SARS-CoV-2 testing: openresearch.labkey.com/project/National%20Primate%20Research%20Centers%20Pathogen%20Detection%20Working%20Group/begin.view?
• Tulane NPRC’s coronavirus research program: globalbiodefense.com/2020/02/21/tulane-national-primate-research-launches-coronavirus-research-program/

For general information on ORIP’s nonhuman primate resources, see ORIP’s Nonhuman Primate Resources fact sheet.

 Select References—Nonhuman Primates

• Chandrashekar A, Liu J, Martinot AJ, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection protects against rechallenge in rhesus macaques. Science 2020;eabc4776. doi: 10.1126/science.abc4776.
• Deng W, Bao L, Liu J, et al. Primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 protections against reinfection in rhesus macaques. Science 2020;eabc5343. doi: 10.1126/science.abc5343.
• Rockx B, Kuiken T, Herfst S, et al. Comparative pathogenesis of COVID-19, MERS, and SARS in a nonhuman primate model. Science 2020;368(6494):1012–15. doi: 10.1126/science.abb7314.
• Yu J, Tostanoski LH, Peter L, et al. DNA vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques. Science 2020;eabc6284. doi: 10.1126/science.abc6284.

COVID-19 research using monkeys: www.eara.eu/post/monkeys-in-covid‑19

The MMRRC is an ORIP-sponsored consortium that distributes and cryopreserves genetically engineered mouse strains and mouse embryonic stem cell lines. The MMRRC’s four distribution facilities—together with its Informatics, Coordination and Service Center—function as a single repository that distributes animals to the scientific community at cost. Information on these facilities and their resources is available at www.mmrrc.org.

For general information on ORIP’s rodent resources, see ORIP's Rodent Resources fact sheet.

Select References—Rodents

• Li K, McCray Jr. PB. Development of a mouse-adapted MERS coronavirus. 2020. In: Vijay R. (ed.) MERS Coronavirus: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2099. Humana, New York, NY. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0211-9_13.
• Iwata-Yoshikawa N, Okamura T, Shimizu Y, et al. Acute respiratory infection in human dipeptidyl peptidase 4-transgenic mice infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus . J Virol 2019;93(6):e01818-18. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01818-18.
• Wahl A, De C, Fernandez MA, et al. Precision mouse models with expanded tropism for human pathogens. Nat Biotechnol 2019;37(10):1163–73. doi: 10.1038/s41587-019-0225-9.
• Li K, Wohlford-Lenane CL, Channappanavar R, et al. Mouse-adapted MERS coronavirus causes lethal lung disease in human DPP4 knockin mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017;114(15):E3119–28. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1619109114.
• McCray Jr. PB, Pewe L, Wohlford-Lenane C, et al. Lethal infection of K18-hACE2 mice infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. J Virol 2007;81(2):813–21. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02012-06.

Information on mouse strains used to study coronaviruses, genes associated with coronavirus infection and pathology, and other resources, is available at www.informatics.jax.org/mgihome/other/coronavirus.shtml.

Chickens can be affected by a gammacoronavirus called infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a highly contagious upper respiratory tract disease. IBV can be transmitted through bird-to-bird contact via respiratory secretions or droppings or through exposure to fomites (e.g., equipment, clothing). IBV is not transmittable from hen to chick through the egg.

The National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC) serves as a central resource for reagents, creation of new genetically modified swine, and information and training related to use of pig models in biomedical research. Information is available at nsrrc.missouri.edu .

Pigs and humans share most physiological, biochemical, and anatomical features related to the lungs. The University of Illinois has been using swine to test emergency reconfigurations of ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

Pigs may be useful as a model for SARS-CoV-2 if the human ACE2 gene is introduced. Additionally, it has been suggested that SARS-CoV-2 requires additional proteins to facilitate virus entry or priming. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) may be required for viral processing, and the NSRRC has already produced pigs with TMPRSS2 knocked out. The NSRRC now proposes a model that can be crossed with existing lines to directly test the role of TMPRSS2. In addition to TMPRSS2, it is thought that glutamyl aminopeptidase (ENPEP), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), and alanyl aminopeptidase (ANPEP) may be required for SARS viruses. Researchers at the University of Missouri already have produced ANPEP knockout swine (see Table 2); ANPEP is required by other coronaviruses, such as TGEV.