Biologists have revealed that one of the proteins produced by the coronavirus is able to bind to pain receptors in the respiratory system, leading to the activation of nerve cells responsible for the sensation of pain.
This explains why the patient experienced sneezing, coughing, and headaches. The study's findings were published in the scientific journal "Neuron".
The biologists said: "Coughing and sneezing are among the most common symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, but until now we did not know exactly how coronaviruses and other pathogens cause these physiological responses. We have shown for the first time that the viral protein PLpro is capable of activating nerve cells responsible for the sensation of pain, and causing coughing and sneezing."
A team of American molecular biologists, led by Professor Diana Bautista of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, made this discovery while studying how different viral proteins, produced during coronavirus replication, interact with cellular systems and various cell types. Many of these proteins suppress the immune response and affect other bodily functions by disrupting the peptides they produce.
In particular, the viral protein PLpro performs similar functions; it suppresses the immune response and plays a crucial role in the formation of the protein components of the coronavirus particle envelope. Given the possibility that molecules with similar structures, found in plant, bacterial, and animal cells, could bind to and induce pain receptors, the scientists decided to investigate the effect of the PLpro protein on neurons located in the nasopharynx and respiratory organs of mice.
Measurements showed that very small amounts of this protein activated about a third of the nerve cells in these organs, most of which were TRPV1, a type of pain receptor. High-speed camera footage showed that direct activation of these nerve cells caused the mice to sneeze and cough, as well as experience pain.
The researchers concluded that PLpro protein molecules produced by other viruses, including SARS-CoV-1 (the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome), elicited a similar response in mice. This suggests that at least several viruses are capable of interacting with their host's nervous system and altering its activity in a way that may facilitate their spread.
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