Un nouveau projet SARS-CoV-2 a été financé par l’ANRS dans l’équipe Andevir, coordonné par M.-L. Blondot. FaCeMoDel, vise a identifier et caractériser d’un point de vue fonctionnel les facteurs cellulaires modulés par l’infection du variant Delta du SARS-CoV-2. Cette analyse comparative du protéome cellulaire par SILAC fera intervenir les plateformes protéome et UB’L3.

The study of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta becomes a priority. First identified in India in October 2020, the variant Delta spreads faster than other variants and represents the dominant lineage in many countries. Because this variant recently emerged, few data are available in the literature. Preliminary research showed that Spike mutations allow immune evasion and increase viral fusogenicity. These two factors should explain the rapid global spreading observed with variant Delta. Nonetheless further investigation need to be done to better characterize the molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta infection. The objective of the present project is to understand how Delta variant interferes with the host cell in comparison with the Wuhan strain. We plan to perform a quantitative proteomic approach by SILAC (Stable Isotope Labeling by Amino acids in Cell culture) coupled with LC-MS/MS. This will allow the identification and the functional characterization of host dependency factors specifically modulated by variant Delta upon infection. This work may provide insights for the development of antiviral therapeutics.