Mucin 4 Protects Female Mice from Coronavirus Pathogenesis

Jessica A. Plante; Kenneth S. Plante; Lisa E. Gralinski; Anne Beall; Martin T. Ferris; Daniel Bottomly; Richard Green; Shannon K. McWeeney; Mark T. Heise; Ralph S. Baric; Vineet D. Menachery

were infected with SARS-CoV and examined over a four-day time course. Following infection, a 85 significant sex-based difference in weight loss between Muc4 -/and WT mice was observed 86 (Table S3) . Female Muc4 -/and control were essentially indistinguishable through two DPI (Fig. 87 2A). However, infected Muc4 -/females continued to lose weight through day four, with 42% (6 88 of 14) meeting euthanasia requirements (≥20% weight loss) and another 42% (6 of 14) requiring 89 increased observation (≥10% weight loss). In contrast, the WT mice held static between days 90 two and three and began to recover by day four, with no mice meeting the requirements for 91 euthanasia and only 13% (2 of 15) requiring increased observation by a margin of ≤0.1g. This 92 Muc4-driven difference in weight loss was not observed in male mice following infection with 93 SARS-CoV (Fig. 2B) . 94