Coronaviruses, primarily targeting respiratory and gastrointestinal epithelia in vivo , have a serious impact on humans and animals. GSDMD, a main executioner of pyroptosis, is highly expressed in epithelial cells and involves viral infection pathogenesis.

Porcine respiratory CoV (PRCoV), a natural mutant of TGEV, shows striking pathogenetic similarities to human respiratory CoV infection and provides an interesting animal model for human respiratory CoVs, including SARS-CoV-2. The lack of an in vitro model recapitulating the complicated cellularity and structure of the porcine respiratory tract is a major roadblock for the study of PRCoV infection.

No abstract