New research suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can induce syncytia formation in the lungs, triggering a strong inflammatory response.

Some syncytia in series A and B of the brain-cell cultures (Fig. 5) showed sparse hemadsorption after the fourteenth subcultivation.

Syncytia formation in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells The authors utilized an S-Fuse assay using U2OS-ACE2 GFP-split cells to induce syncytia in potential SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The number of neuronal syncytia increased over time, forming clusters of GFP-positive neurons that progressively incorporated more cells.

While syncytia are also formed during the development of muscles or the placenta, their role in wound healing and the involvement of autophagy are new discoveries.

Thrombosis, pneumotcyte syncytia, and persistent viral RNA are hallmarks of advanced COVID-19 pathology.

While syncytia are also formed during the development of muscles or the placenta, their role in wound healing and the involvement of autophagy are new discoveries.