Preprint Communication Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Exploring Mitochondrial Localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Padlock Assay. A Pilot Study in Human Placenta

Maria Grazia Di Certo
* ,
Francesca Gabanella
,
Christian Barbato
ORCID logo ,
Nicoletta Corbi
,
Marco Fiore
,
Carla Petrella
ORCID logo ,
Marco de Vincentiis
,
Antonio Greco
,
Giampiero Ferraguti
,
Alessandro Corsi
ORCID logo ,
Massimo Ralli
ORCID logo ,
Irene Pecorella
,
Cira R.T. Di Gioia
ORCID logo ,
Francesco Pecorini
,
Roberto Brunelli
,
Claudio Passananti
* ,
Antonio Minni
*
Version 1 : Received: 5 January 2022 / Approved: 6 January 2022 / Online: 6 January 2022 (12:35:00 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Gabanella, F.; Barbato, C.; Corbi, N.; Fiore, M.; Petrella, C.; de Vincentiis, M.; Greco, A.; Ferraguti, G.; Corsi, A.; Ralli, M.; Pecorella, I.; Di Gioia, C.; Pecorini, F.; Brunelli, R.; Passananti, C.; Minni, A.; Di Certo, M.G. Exploring Mitochondrial Localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Padlock Assay: A Pilot Study in Human Placenta. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 2100. Gabanella, F.; Barbato, C.; Corbi, N.; Fiore, M.; Petrella, C.; de Vincentiis, M.; Greco, A.; Ferraguti, G.; Corsi, A.; Ralli, M.; Pecorella, I.; Di Gioia, C.; Pecorini, F.; Brunelli, R.; Passananti, C.; Minni, A.; Di Certo, M.G. Exploring Mitochondrial Localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Padlock Assay: A Pilot Study in Human Placenta. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 2100.

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic dictated new priorities in biomedicine research. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. In this pilot study, we optimized our padlock assay to visualize genomic/subgenomic regions using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded placental samples obtained from a confirmed case of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was localized in trophoblastic cells. We also checked the presence of the virion by immunolocalization of its glycoprotein spike. In addition, we imaged mitochondria of placental villi keeping in mind that the mitochondrion has been suggested as a potential residence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Indeed, we observed a substantial overlapping of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and mitochondria in trophoblastic cells. This intriguing linkage correlated with an aberrant mitochondrial network. Overall, to our knowledge, this is the first study that provides the evidence of a co-localization of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and mitochondria in SARS-CoV-2 infected tissue. These findings also support the notion that SARS-CoV-2 infection could reprogram mitochondrial activity in highly specialized maternal/fetal interface.

Keywords

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; mitochondria; placenta; padlock

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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