Transcriptome of Peromyscus leucopus lungs infected with SARS-CoV-2

Peromyscus leucopus is a reservoir for numerous zoonoses and one of the most abundant mammals in North America. Since they live near humans we are interested in the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this animal model from a zoonoses standpoint. The experimental design for the first trial involves using adult male and female P. leucopus LL stock. Animals were dosed with nasal inhalation of either tissue culture medium (DMEM) alone (controls) or alpha variant, WA1 strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus. We dosed 8 animals with a virus (titer 2x104) and 6 with DMEM alone. Animals were euthanized at either 3 or 6 days post-infection. For a second trial, P. leucopus animals were 1-3 years old and we had 3 groups: control animals with nasal inhalation of media, control animals with nasal inhalation of the heat-treated virus, and infected animals. Each group has 4 animals euthanized on 3- or 6-days post-infection (DPI). Lung tissue was used for RNA isolation and further sequencing to obtain 40 x 106 ...

白足鼠（Peromyscus leucopus）是多种人畜共患病（zoonoses）的储存宿主，同时也是北美数量最为丰富的哺乳动物类群之一。鉴于该物种常栖息于人类活动区域附近，我们从人畜共患病研究视角出发，探究该动物模型感染新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）的可能性。首轮实验的受试对象为成年雌雄P. leucopus LL种群个体，受试动物通过鼻腔吸入两种制剂：仅含组织培养基（DMEM）的空白对照组，以及新型冠状病毒阿尔法变异株（alpha variant）WA1毒株（WA1 strain）的病毒悬液。其中8只动物接种病毒（病毒滴度为2×10⁴），6只仅接种DMEM作为对照，所有受试动物分别于感染后3天或6天实施安乐死。第二轮实验的受试P. leucopus个体年龄为1~3岁，共设置3个组别：仅经鼻腔吸入培养基的对照组、经鼻腔吸入热处理病毒的对照组，以及病毒感染组，每组各有4只动物，均于感染后3天或6天（DPI）实施安乐死。采集肺组织用于RNA提取（RNA isolation）及后续测序，以获取约40×10⁶条测序数据……