K. S. Plante

Yellow Fever Emergence: Role of Heterologous Flavivirus Immunity in Preventing Urban Transmission

The paper shows that prior immunity to dengue and Zika viruses reduces yellow fever viremia, limiting mosquito infection and urban transmission risk.

Potential of Ilheus virus to emerge

This study develops murine models of Ilheus virus infection and shows Aedes mosquitoes are highly susceptible, suggesting ILHV is poised for emergence in the neotropics.

Interaction between host G3BP and viral nucleocapsid protein regulates SARS-CoV-2 replication

This study identifies the role of G3BP1-N interaction in SARS-CoV-2 replication by showing that disrupting this interaction reduces viral replication and pathogenesis.

Loss-of-function mutation in Omicron variants reduces spike protein expression and attenuates SARS-CoV-2 infection

This study identifies the N679K mutation in Omicron variants as reducing spike protein expression and attenuating SARS-CoV-2 infection, while showing a replication advantage in the upper airway.

SARS-CoV-2 Uses Nonstructural Protein 16 to Evade Restriction by IFIT1 and IFIT3

This paper shows that SARS-CoV-2's NSP16 protein helps evade immune detection by methylating viral mRNA, and disrupting this function reduces viral replication and disease in hamsters.

A live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate with accessory protein deletions

This paper describes a live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate with deleted ORFs that shows reduced replication and attenuation in animal models, and reports its protective efficacy against wild-type virus challenge.

QTQTN motif upstream of the furin-cleavage site plays key role in SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis.

This study shows that deleting the QTQTN motif reduces SARS-CoV-2 replication and disease by affecting spike processing and glycosylation.

Combinatorial mRNA vaccination enhances protection against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant

This study shows that combining mRNA vaccines targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleoprotein proteins enhances protection against the delta variant in animal models.

The pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) model of COVID-19 reproduces diverse clinical outcomes and reveals new and complex signatures of disease

This study shows that pigtail macaques infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit mild-to-moderate disease with specific immune and viral dynamics, making them a potential model for studying COVID-19.

An Orally Available Cathepsin L Inhibitor Protects Lungs Against SARS-CoV-2-Induced Diffuse Alveolar Damage in African Green Monkeys

This study shows that the orally available cathepsin L inhibitor K777 reduces SARS-CoV-2-induced lung damage in African green monkeys.

Mouse Adapted SARS-CoV-2 protects animals from lethal SARS-CoV challenge

This study creates a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strain that protects mice from lethal SARS-CoV challenge, demonstrating cross-strain immunity.

The N501Y spike substitution enhances SARS-CoV-2 transmission

The paper shows the N501Y spike mutation in SARS-CoV-2 enhances viral transmission in hamsters and human airway cells by increasing receptor binding affinity.

Adjuvanting a subunit SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine to induce protective immunity in non-human primates

This study evaluates adjuvants for a subunit SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine in non-human primates, showing durable neutralizing antibody responses and protection against infection.

A trans-complementation system for SARS-CoV-2

This paper develops a trans-complementation system to produce single-round infectious SARS-CoV-2 at BSL-2 labs, enabling safe high-throughput testing without full viral replication.

Spike mutation D614G alters SARS-CoV-2 fitness and neutralization susceptibility

This study shows the D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2 increases viral replication and upper respiratory tract viral loads but does not reduce vaccine efficacy or antibody neutralization.

Furin Cleavage Site Is Key to SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis

This study shows that removing the furin cleavage site from SARS-CoV-2 increases replication in Vero cells but reduces replication in respiratory cells and pathogenesis in hamsters, while also decreasing neutralization susceptibility.

Prophylactic and Therapeutic Inhibition of In Vitro SARS-CoV-2 Replication by Oleandrin

This paper tests oleandrin's antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, showing potent prophylactic and therapeutic effects with high dose reductions in viral production.

Emergence of Zika virus: Direct reversion of mutations and fitness restoration prior to spread to the Americas

This study identifies four mutations in Zika virus that reversed prior mutations, restoring fitness for urban transmission and increasing epidemic risk before the virus spread to the Americas.

Acute Respiratory Distress and Cytokine Storm in Aged, SARS-CoV-2 Infected African Green Monkeys, but not in Rhesus Macaques

This study compares SARS-CoV-2 infection in aged African green monkeys and rhesus macaques, finding ARDS and cytokine storms in AGMs but not RMs.

Isolation and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 from the first US COVID-19 patient

The paper isolates and characterizes SARS-CoV-2 from the first US COVID-19 patient, showing high replication in Vero cells and depositing the strain for public use.

Zika virus infection in Collaborative Cross mice

The paper tests Collaborative Cross mice as an immune-competent model for ZIKV infection, finding poor infection and low antibody response.