SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid suppresses host pyroptosis by blocking Gasdermin D cleavage

Ma, Juan; Zhu, Fangrui; Zhao, Min; Shao, Fei; Yu, Dou; Ma, Jiangwen; Zhang, Xusheng; Li, Weitao; Qian, Yan; Zhang, Yan; Jiang, Dong; Wang, Shuo; Xia, Pengyan

SARS‐CoV‐2 is an emerging coronavirus that causes dysfunctions in multiple human cells and tissues. Studies have looked at the entry of SARS‐CoV‐2 into host cells mediated by the viral spike protein and human receptor ACE2. However, less is known about the cellular immune responses triggered by SARS‐CoV‐2 viral proteins. Here, we show that the nucleocapsid of SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibits host pyroptosis by blocking Gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage. SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected monocytes show enhanced cellular interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) expression, but reduced IL‐1β secretion. While SARS‐CoV‐2 infection promotes activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and caspase‐1, GSDMD cleavage and pyroptosis are inhibited in infected human monocytes. SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid protein associates with GSDMD in cells and inhibits GSDMD cleavage in vitro and in vivo. The nucleocapsid binds the GSDMD linker region and hinders GSDMD processing by caspase‐1. These insights into how SARS‐CoV‐2 antagonizes cellular inflammatory responses may open new avenues for treating COVID‐19 in the future.