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Le K, Kannappan S, Kim T, Lee JH, Lee HR, Kim KK. Structural understanding of SARS-CoV-2 virus entry to host cells. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1288686. [PMID: 38033388 PMCID: PMC10683510 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1288686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a major global health concern associated with millions of fatalities worldwide. Mutant variants of the virus have further exacerbated COVID-19 mortality and infection rates, emphasizing the urgent need for effective preventive strategies. Understanding the viral infection mechanism is crucial for developing therapeutics and vaccines. The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells is a key step in the infection pathway and has been targeted for drug development. Despite numerous reviews of COVID-19 and the virus, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on the structural aspects of viral entry. In this review, we analyze structural changes in Spike proteins during the entry process, dividing the entry process into prebinding, receptor binding, proteolytic cleavage, and membrane fusion steps. By understanding the atomic-scale details of viral entry, we can better target the entry step for intervention strategies. We also examine the impacts of mutations in Spike proteins, including the Omicron variant, on viral entry. Structural information provides insights into the effects of mutations and can guide the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Finally, we discuss available structure-based approaches for the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, this review provides a detailed analysis of the structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, highlighting its significance in the development of therapeutics and vaccines against COVID-19. Therefore, our review emphasizes the importance of structural information in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Le
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shrute Kannappan
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Truc Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Heon Lee
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- School of Advanced Materials and Science Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ra Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Science and Technology, Korea University, Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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102
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Lusvarghi S, Stauft CB, Vassell R, Williams B, Baha H, Wang W, Neerukonda SN, Wang T, Weiss CD. Effects of N-glycan modifications on spike expression, virus infectivity, and neutralization sensitivity in ancestral compared to Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011788. [PMID: 37943965 PMCID: PMC10662749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein has 22 potential N-linked glycosylation sites per monomer that are highly conserved among diverse variants, but how individual glycans affect virus entry and neutralization of Omicron variants has not been extensively characterized. Here we compared the effects of specific glycan deletions or modifications in the Omicron BA.1 and D614G spikes on spike expression, processing, and incorporation into pseudoviruses, as well as on virus infectivity and neutralization by therapeutic antibodies. We found that loss of potential glycans at spike residues N717 and N801 each conferred a loss of pseudovirus infectivity for Omicron but not for D614G or Delta variants. This decrease in infectivity correlated with decreased spike processing and incorporation into Omicron pseudoviruses. Oligomannose-enriched Omicron pseudoviruses generated in GnTI- cells or in the presence of kifunensine were non-infectious, whereas D614G or Delta pseudoviruses generated under similar conditions remained infectious. Similarly, growth of live (authentic) SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of kifunensine resulted in a greater reduction of titers for the BA.1.1 variant than Delta or D614G variants relative to their respective, untreated controls. Finally, we found that loss of some N-glycans, including N343 and N234, increased the maximum percent neutralization by the class 3 S309 monoclonal antibody against D614G but not BA.1 variants, while these glycan deletions altered the neutralization potency of the class 1 COV2-2196 and Etesevimab monoclonal antibodies without affecting maximum percent neutralization. The maximum neutralization by some antibodies also varied with the glycan composition, with oligomannose-enriched pseudoviruses conferring the highest percent neutralization. These results highlight differences in the interactions between glycans and residues among SARS-CoV-2 variants that can affect spike expression, virus infectivity, and susceptibility of variants to antibody neutralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Lusvarghi
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Charles B. Stauft
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Russell Vassell
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Brittany Williams
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Haseebullah Baha
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Wei Wang
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sabari Nath Neerukonda
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tony Wang
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carol D. Weiss
- Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring Maryland, United States of America
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103
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Tulsian NK, Palur RV, Qian X, Gu Y, D/O Shunmuganathan B, Samsudin F, Wong YH, Lin J, Purushotorman K, Kozma MM, Wang B, Lescar J, Wang CI, Gupta RK, Bond PJ, MacAry PA. Defining neutralization and allostery by antibodies against COVID-19 variants. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6967. [PMID: 37907459 PMCID: PMC10618280 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42408-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The changing landscape of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein is linked to the emergence of variants, immune-escape and reduced efficacy of the existing repertoire of anti-viral antibodies. The functional activity of neutralizing antibodies is linked to their quaternary changes occurring as a result of antibody-Spike trimer interactions. Here, we reveal the conformational dynamics and allosteric perturbations linked to binding of novel human antibodies and the viral Spike protein. We identified epitope hotspots, and associated changes in Spike dynamics that distinguish weak, moderate and strong neutralizing antibodies. We show the impact of mutations in Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, and Omicron variants on differences in the antibody-induced conformational changes in Spike and illustrate how these render certain antibodies ineffective. Antibodies with similar binding affinities may induce destabilizing or stabilizing allosteric effects on Spike, with implications for neutralization efficacy. Our results provide mechanistic insights into the functional modes and synergistic behavior of human antibodies against COVID-19 and may assist in designing effective antiviral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Kumar Tulsian
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
- Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore.
| | - Raghuvamsi Venkata Palur
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138761, Singapore
| | - Xinlei Qian
- Antibody Engineering Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
| | - Yue Gu
- Antibody Engineering Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
| | - Bhuvaneshwari D/O Shunmuganathan
- Antibody Engineering Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
| | - Firdaus Samsudin
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138761, Singapore
| | - Yee Hwa Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Experimental Medicine Building, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Jianqing Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Experimental Medicine Building, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Kiren Purushotorman
- Antibody Engineering Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
| | - Mary McQueen Kozma
- Antibody Engineering Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
| | - Bei Wang
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Julien Lescar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Experimental Medicine Building, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Cheng-I Wang
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Ravindra Kumar Gupta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Cambridge, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter John Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138761, Singapore.
| | - Paul Anthony MacAry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore.
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117546, Singapore.
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104
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Tsilioni I, Theoharides TC. Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Its Receptor Binding Domain Stimulate Release of Different Pro-Inflammatory Mediators via Activation of Distinct Receptors on Human Microglia Cells. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:6704-6714. [PMID: 37477768 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03493-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infects cells via its spike (S) protein binding to its surface receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on target cells and results in acute symptoms involving especially the lungs known as COVID-19. However, increasing evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection produces neuroinflammation associated with neurological, neuropsychiatric, and cognitive symptoms persists well past the resolution of the infection, known as post-COVID-19 sequalae or long-COVID. The neuroimmune mechanism(s) involved in long-COVID have not been adequately characterized. In this study, we show that recombinant SARS-CoV-2 full-length S protein stimulates release of pro-inflammatory IL-1b, CXCL8, IL-6, and MMP-9 from cultured human microglia via TLR4 receptor activation. Instead, recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) stimulates release of TNF-α, IL-18, and S100B via ACE2 signaling. These results provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contributes to neuroinflammation through different mechanisms that may be involved in CNS pathologies associated with long-COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Tsilioni
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Suite 304, Boston, MA, 02111, USA.
| | - Theoharis C Theoharides
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Suite 304, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
- Institute of Neuro-Immune Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Clearwater, FL, 33759, USA
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105
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Gruber CEM, Tucci FG, Rueca M, Mazzotta V, Gramigna G, Vergori A, Fabeni L, Berno G, Giombini E, Butera O, Focosi D, Prandi IG, Chillemi G, Nicastri E, Vaia F, Girardi E, Antinori A, Maggi F. Treatment-Emergent Cilgavimab Resistance Was Uncommon in Vaccinated Omicron BA.4/5 Outpatients. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1538. [PMID: 37892220 PMCID: PMC10605390 DOI: 10.3390/biom13101538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein can affect monoclonal antibody efficacy. Recent findings report the occurrence of resistant mutations in immunocompromised patients after tixagevimab/cilgavimab treatment. More recently, the Food and Drug Agency revoked the authorization for tixagevimab/cilgavimab, while this monoclonal antibody cocktail is currently recommended by the European Medical Agency. We retrospectively reviewed 22 immunocompetent patients at high risk for disease progression who received intramuscular tixagevimab/cilgavimab as early COVID-19 treatment and presented a prolonged high viral load. Complete SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were obtained for a deep investigation of mutation frequencies in Spike protein before and during treatment. At seven days, only one patient showed evidence of treatment-emergent cilgavimab resistance. Quasispecies analysis revealed two different deletions on the Spike protein (S:del138-144 or S:del141-145) in combination with the resistance S:K444N mutation. The structural and dynamic impact of the two quasispecies was characterized by using molecular dynamics simulations, showing the conservation of the principal functional movements in the mutated systems and their capabilities to alter the structure and dynamics of the RBD, responsible for the interaction with the ACE2 human receptor. Our study underlines the importance of prompting an early virological investigation to prevent drug resistance or clinical failures in immunocompetent patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Ernesto Maria Gruber
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Fabio Giovanni Tucci
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Martina Rueca
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Valentina Mazzotta
- Clinical and Research Infectious Diseases Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (A.V.); (E.N.); (A.A.)
| | - Giulia Gramigna
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Alessandra Vergori
- Clinical and Research Infectious Diseases Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (A.V.); (E.N.); (A.A.)
| | - Lavinia Fabeni
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Giulia Berno
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Emanuela Giombini
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
| | - Ornella Butera
- Laboratory of Microbiology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Daniele Focosi
- North-Western Tuscany Blood Bank, Pisa University Hospital, 56124 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Ingrid Guarnetti Prandi
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis s.n.c, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (I.G.P.); (G.C.)
| | - Giovanni Chillemi
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis s.n.c, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (I.G.P.); (G.C.)
| | - Emanuele Nicastri
- Clinical and Research Infectious Diseases Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (A.V.); (E.N.); (A.A.)
| | - Francesco Vaia
- General Direction, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Enrico Girardi
- Scientific Direction, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Andrea Antinori
- Clinical and Research Infectious Diseases Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (A.V.); (E.N.); (A.A.)
| | - Fabrizio Maggi
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (IRCCS), 00149 Rome, Italy; (C.E.M.G.); (F.G.T.); (M.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (E.G.); (F.M.)
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106
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Baghaie L, Leroy F, Sheikhi M, Jafarzadeh A, Szewczuk MR, Sheikhi A. Contemporaneous SARS-CoV-2-Neutralizing Antibodies Mediated by N-glycan Shields. Viruses 2023; 15:2079. [PMID: 37896856 PMCID: PMC10612084 DOI: 10.3390/v15102079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations and the glycosylation of epitopes can convert immunogenic epitopes into non-immunogenic ones via natural selection or evolutionary pressure, thereby decreasing their sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies. Based on Thomas Francis's theory, memory B and T cells induced during primary infections or vaccination will freeze the new mutated epitopes specific to naïve B and T cells from the repertoire. On this basis, some researchers argue that the current vaccines derived from the previous strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus do not increase immunity and may also prevent the immune response against new epitopes. However, evidence shows that even if the binding affinity is reduced, the previous antibodies or T cell receptors (TCRs) can still bind to this new epitope of the Beta, Gamma, and Delta variant if their concentration is high enough (from a booster injection) and neutralize the virus. This paper presents some convincing immunological reasons that may challenge this theory and argue for the continuation of universal vaccination to prevent further mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Simultaneously, the information presented can be used to develop vaccines that target novel epitopes or create new recombinant drugs that do not lose their effectiveness when the virus mutates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leili Baghaie
- Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada;
| | - Fleur Leroy
- Faculté de Médecine, Maïeutique et Sciences de la Santé, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Mehdi Sheikhi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful 64616-43993, Iran;
- Faculty of Medicine, Kazeroon Azad University, Kazeroon 14778-93855, Iran
| | - Abdollah Jafarzadeh
- Department of Immunology, Medical School, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman 76169-13555, Iran;
| | - Myron R. Szewczuk
- Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada;
| | - Abdolkarim Sheikhi
- Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada;
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful 64616-43993, Iran;
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107
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Ghoula M, Deyawe Kongmeneck A, Eid R, Camproux AC, Moroy G. Comparative Study of the Mutations Observed in the SARS-CoV-2 RBD Variants of Concern and Their Impact on the Interaction with the ACE2 Protein. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8586-8602. [PMID: 37775095 PMCID: PMC10578311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c01467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 strains have made an appearance across the globe, causing over 757 million cases and over 6.85 million deaths at the time of writing. The emergence of these variants shows the amplitude of genetic variation to which the wild-type strains have been subjected. The rise of the different SARS-CoV-2 variants resulting from such genetic modification has significantly affected COVD-19's major impact on proliferation, virulence, and clinics. With the emergence of the variants of concern, the spike protein has been identified as a possible therapeutic target due to its critical role in binding to human cells and pathogenesis. These mutations could be linked to functional heterogeneity and use a different infection strategy. For example, the Omicron variant's multiple mutations should be carefully examined, as they represent one of the most widely spread strains and hint to us that there may be more genetic changes in the virus. As a result, we applied a common protocol where we reconstructed SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the stability of the ACE2-RBD complex in each variant. We also carried out free energy calculations to compare the binding and biophysical properties of the different SARS-CoV-2 variants when they interact with ACE2. Therefore, we were able to obtain consistent results and uncover new crucial residues that were essential for preserving a balance between maintaining a high affinity for ACE2 and the capacity to evade RBD-targeted antibodies. Our detailed structural analysis showed that SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern show a higher affinity for ACE2 compared to the Wuhan strain. Additionally, residues K417N and E484K/A might play a crucial role in antibody evasion, whereas Q498R and N501Y are specifically mutated to strengthen RBD affinity to ACE2 and, thereby, increase the viral effect of the COVID-19 virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariem Ghoula
- Université de Paris, CNRS,
INSERM, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Audrey Deyawe Kongmeneck
- Université de Paris, CNRS,
INSERM, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Rita Eid
- Université de Paris, CNRS,
INSERM, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Anne-Claude Camproux
- Université de Paris, CNRS,
INSERM, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Gautier Moroy
- Université de Paris, CNRS,
INSERM, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013 Paris, France
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108
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Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. Comparative Analysis of Conformational Dynamics and Systematic Characterization of Cryptic Pockets in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 Spike Complexes with the ACE2 Host Receptor: Confluence of Binding and Structural Plasticity in Mediating Networks of Conserved Allosteric Sites. Viruses 2023; 15:2073. [PMID: 37896850 PMCID: PMC10612107 DOI: 10.3390/v15102073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In the current study, we explore coarse-grained simulations and atomistic molecular dynamics together with binding energetics scanning and cryptic pocket detection in a comparative examination of conformational landscapes and systematic characterization of allosteric binding sites in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 spike full-length trimer complexes with the host receptor ACE2. Microsecond simulations, Markov state models and mutational scanning of binding energies of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 and BA.2.75 receptor binding domain complexes revealed the increased thermodynamic stabilization of the BA.2.75 variant and significant dynamic differences between these Omicron variants. Molecular simulations of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike full-length trimer complexes with the ACE2 receptor complemented atomistic studies and enabled an in-depth analysis of mutational and binding effects on conformational dynamic and functional adaptability of the Omicron variants. Despite considerable structural similarities, Omicron variants BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 can induce unique conformational dynamic signatures and specific distributions of the conformational states. Using conformational ensembles of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike trimer complexes with ACE2, we conducted a comprehensive cryptic pocket screening to examine the role of Omicron mutations and ACE2 binding on the distribution and functional mechanisms of the emerging allosteric binding sites. This analysis captured all experimentally known allosteric sites and discovered networks of inter-connected and functionally relevant allosteric sites that are governed by variant-sensitive conformational adaptability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike structures. The results detailed how ACE2 binding and Omicron mutations in the BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 spike complexes modulate the distribution of conserved and druggable allosteric pockets harboring functionally important regions. The results are significant for understanding the functional roles of druggable cryptic pockets that can be used for allostery-mediated therapeutic intervention targeting conformational states of the Omicron variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
| | - Sian Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA; (S.X.); (P.T.)
| | - Peng Tao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA; (S.X.); (P.T.)
| | - Gennady Verkhivker
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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Bodakuntla S, Kuhn CC, Biertümpfel C, Mizuno N. Cryo-electron microscopy in the fight against COVID-19-mechanism of virus entry. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1252529. [PMID: 37867557 PMCID: PMC10587472 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1252529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and electron tomography (cryo-ET) have become a critical tool for studying viral particles. Cryo-EM has enhanced our understanding of viral assembly and replication processes at a molecular resolution. Meanwhile, in situ cryo-ET has been used to investigate how viruses attach to and invade host cells. These advances have significantly contributed to our knowledge of viral biology. Particularly, prompt elucidations of structures of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its variants have directly impacted the development of vaccines and therapeutic measures. This review discusses the progress made by cryo-EM based technologies in comprehending the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2), the virus responsible for the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with focus on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the mechanisms of the virus entry and replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satish Bodakuntla
- Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Christopher Cyrus Kuhn
- Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Christian Biertümpfel
- Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Naoko Mizuno
- Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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110
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Van Doren SR, Scott BS, Koppisetti RK. SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptide sculpting of a membrane with insertion of charged and polar groups. Structure 2023; 31:1184-1199.e3. [PMID: 37625399 PMCID: PMC10592393 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
The fusion peptide of SARS-CoV-2 spike is essential for infection. How this charged and hydrophobic domain occupies and affects membranes needs clarification. Its depth in zwitterionic, bilayered micelles at pH 5 (resembling late endosomes) was measured by paramagnetic NMR relaxation enhancements used to bias molecular dynamics simulations. Asp830 inserted deeply, along with Lys825 or Lys835. Protonation of Asp830 appeared to enhance agreement of simulated and NMR-measured depths. While the fusion peptide occupied a leaflet of the DMPC bilayer, the opposite leaflet invaginated with influx of water and choline head groups in around Asp830 and bilayer-inserted polar side chains. NMR-detected hydrogen exchange found corroborating hydration of the backbone of Thr827-Phe833 inserted deeply in bicelles. Pinching of the membrane at the inserted charge and the intramembrane hydration of polar groups agree with theory. Formation of corridors of hydrated, inward-turned head groups was accompanied by flip-flop of head groups. Potential roles of the defects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R Van Doren
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
| | - Benjamin S Scott
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Rama K Koppisetti
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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111
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Sinha A, Roy S. Intrinsically Disordered Regions Function as a Cervical Collar to Remotely Regulate the Nodding Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Prefusion Spike Heads. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8393-8405. [PMID: 37738458 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 prefusion spike heads (receptor binding domains, RBDs) frequently nod down and up to interact with host cell receptors. As the spike protein is a trimeric unit of significant size, to understand its large-scale structural dynamics associated with the nodding mechanism and the mutational impact on the same, we develop a topological symmetry-information-loaded coarse-grained structure-based model of a spike trimer using recent cryo-EM structural data. Our study reveals the control of two distant intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), namely, 630 and FPPR loops, over the nodding dynamics of spike heads. We find that the order-disorder transition of IDRs becomes more evident in the variants of concern (VOCs) that are associated with the characteristic mutation, D614G, in the proximity of these IDRs. In some VOCs, the two other mutations A570D and S982A also show an integral effect. The driver mutation D614G instigates a salt-bridge disruption, altering the order-disorder dynamics of both 630 and FPPR loops and their interaction with the C-terminal domains (CTD1/CTD2). This altered connectivity in these mutants allows the two IDRs to act collectively as a "cervical collar" for the RBD, supporting various spike head postures, consistent with cryo-EM results available for specific cases. The IDRs' control over the spike structure and dynamics presents an exciting opportunity where they can be targeted as remote operational switches to artificially maneuver the nod for effective therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushree Sinha
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Susmita Roy
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
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Stuible M, Schrag JD, Sheff J, Zoubchenok D, Lord-Dufour S, Cass B, L'Abbé D, Pelletier A, Rossotti MA, Tanha J, Gervais C, Maurice R, El Bakkouri M, Acchione M, Durocher Y. Influence of variant-specific mutations, temperature and pH on conformations of a large set of SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer vaccine antigen candidates. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16498. [PMID: 37779126 PMCID: PMC10543594 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43661-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines continue to be the focus of intense clinical development worldwide. Protein antigens in these vaccines most commonly consist of the spike ectodomain fused to a heterologous trimerization sequence, designed to mimic the compact, prefusion conformation of the spike on the virus surface. Since 2020, we have produced dozens of such constructs in CHO cells, consisting of spike variants with different mutations fused to different trimerization sequences. This set of constructs displayed notable conformational heterogeneity, with two distinct trimer species consistently detected by analytical size exclusion chromatography. A recent report showed that spike ectodomain fusion constructs can adopt an alternative trimer conformation consisting of loosely associated ectodomain protomers. Here, we applied multiple biophysical and immunological techniques to demonstrate that this alternative conformation is formed to a significant extent by several SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins. We have also examined the influence of temperature and pH, which can induce inter-conversion of the two forms. The substantial structural differences between these trimer types may impact their performance as vaccine antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Stuible
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Joseph D Schrag
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Joey Sheff
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Daria Zoubchenok
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Simon Lord-Dufour
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Brian Cass
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Denis L'Abbé
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Alex Pelletier
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Martin A Rossotti
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jamshid Tanha
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Christian Gervais
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Roger Maurice
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Majida El Bakkouri
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Mauro Acchione
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Yves Durocher
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada.
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Waryah YM, Khidri FF, Nigar R, Devrajani T, Rajput AR, Waryah AM, Ujjan ID. Impact of ACE2 gene variations on COVID-19 pathogenicity in Pakistani patients. Saudi J Biol Sci 2023; 30:103813. [PMID: 37811480 PMCID: PMC10550763 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2023.103813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, swiftly disseminated and was declared a pandemic. Variations in the ACE2 gene can impact the virus's ability to bind to ACE2 receptor, potentially influencing an individual's susceptibility and its association with COVID-19 severity across various populations. Methods In total, 200 individuals were sequenced for the ACE2 gene and potential impact of the found variants on the ACE2 protein was assessed using in-silico tools. Results Eight variations in the ACE2 gene were identified in 27 COVID-19 patients, of which four were missense and four were intronic variants. Three variants had a MAF of < 0.01 (c.251C > T, p.Pro86Leu; 15C > G, p.S5S; and c. 91 A > G, p.Lys31Glu). A missense variant, p.Pro86Leu, C > T, TT genotype, was found in 9 out of 200 individuals with an allele frequency of 0.045 and showed a significant association with COVID-19 (P = 0.003). The heterozygous allele of 15C > G, p.S5S, was found with a frequency of 0.02 (8/400) in eight patients, and its CG genotype showed a significant association with COVID-19 (P = 0.0068). The remaining identified variants were not associated with COVID-19 susceptibility. Conclusion The ACE2 gene sequence in Pakistani individuals exhibited a low frequency of identified variants in COVID-19 patients. Overall, only two variants were associated with susceptibility to the disease, possibly contributing to Pakistan's lower COVID-19 mortality and infection rates. However, individuals carrying the mutant variant experienced more severe symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yar Muhammad Waryah
- Scientific Ophthalmic and Research Laboratory, Sindh Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Hyderabad 71500, Pakistan
- Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Feriha Fatima Khidri
- Department of Biochemistry, Bilawal Medical College, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Roohi Nigar
- Department of Gynecology, Bilawal Medical College, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Tarachand Devrajani
- Department of Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Ali Raza Rajput
- Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Ali Muhammad Waryah
- Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
| | - Ikram Din Ujjan
- Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
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114
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Xu C, Han W, Cong Y. Cryo-EM and cryo-ET of the spike, virion, and antibody neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and VOCs. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 82:102664. [PMID: 37544111 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) have been demonstrated to be powerful and efficient tools in structural studies of distinct conformational states of the trimeric spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and the VOCs as well as the intact virion. Cryo-EM has also contributed greatly to revealing the molecular basis of receptor recognition and antibody neutralization of the S trimer. Additionally, it has provided structural insights into the enhanced transformation and immune evasion of the VOCs, thus facilitating antiviral antibody and drug discovery. In this review, we summarize the contributions of cryo-EM and cryo-ET in revealing the structures of SARS-CoV-2 S trimer and intact virion and the mechanisms of receptor binding and antibody neutralization. We also highlight their prospective utilities in the development of vaccines and future therapeutics against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and other epidemic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Wenyu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yao Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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115
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Ahn H, Calderon BM, Fan X, Gao Y, Horgan NL, Jiang N, Blohm DS, Hossain J, Rayyan NWK, Osman SH, Lin X, Currier M, Steel J, Wentworth DE, Zhou B, Liang B. Structural basis of the American mink ACE2 binding by Y453F trimeric spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e29163. [PMID: 37842796 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters the host cell by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). While evolutionarily conserved, ACE2 receptors differ across various species and differential interactions with Spike (S) glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 viruses impact species specificity. Reverse zoonoses led to SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks on multiple American mink (Mustela vison) farms during the pandemic and gave rise to mink-associated S substitutions known for transmissibility between mink and zoonotic transmission to humans. In this study, we used bio-layer interferometry (BLI) to discern the differences in binding affinity between multiple human and mink-derived S glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 and their respective ACE2 receptors. Further, we conducted a structural analysis of a mink variant S glycoprotein and American mink ACE2 (mvACE2) using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), revealing four distinct conformations. We discovered a novel intermediary conformation where the mvACE2 receptor is bound to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S glycoprotein in a "down" position, approximately 34° lower than previously reported "up" RBD. Finally, we compared residue interactions in the S-ACE2 complex interface of S glycoprotein conformations with varying RBD orientations. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunjun Ahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Brenda M Calderon
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Fan
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Yunrong Gao
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Natalie L Horgan
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nannan Jiang
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Dylan S Blohm
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jaber Hossain
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nicole Wedad K Rayyan
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sarah H Osman
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chamblee, Georgia, USA
| | - Xudong Lin
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael Currier
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - John Steel
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - David E Wentworth
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Bin Zhou
- COVID-19 Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Bo Liang
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Verkhivker G, Alshahrani M, Gupta G. Exploring Conformational Landscapes and Cryptic Binding Pockets in Distinct Functional States of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 Trimers: Mutation-Induced Modulation of Protein Dynamics and Network-Guided Prediction of Variant-Specific Allosteric Binding Sites. Viruses 2023; 15:2009. [PMID: 37896786 PMCID: PMC10610873 DOI: 10.3390/v15102009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A significant body of experimental structures of SARS-CoV-2 spike trimers for the BA.1 and BA.2 variants revealed a considerable plasticity of the spike protein and the emergence of druggable binding pockets. Understanding the interplay of conformational dynamics changes induced by the Omicron variants and the identification of cryptic dynamic binding pockets in the S protein is of paramount importance as exploring broad-spectrum antiviral agents to combat the emerging variants is imperative. In the current study, we explore conformational landscapes and characterize the universe of binding pockets in multiple open and closed functional spike states of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants. By using a combination of atomistic simulations, a dynamics network analysis, and an allostery-guided network screening of binding pockets in the conformational ensembles of the BA.1 and BA.2 spike conformations, we identified all experimentally known allosteric sites and discovered significant variant-specific differences in the distribution of binding sites in the BA.1 and BA.2 trimers. This study provided a structural characterization of the predicted cryptic pockets and captured the experimentally known allosteric sites, revealing the critical role of conformational plasticity in modulating the distribution and cross-talk between functional binding sites. We found that mutational and dynamic changes in the BA.1 variant can induce the remodeling and stabilization of a known druggable pocket in the N-terminal domain, while this pocket is drastically altered and may no longer be available for ligand binding in the BA.2 variant. Our results predicted the experimentally known allosteric site in the receptor-binding domain that remains stable and ranks as the most favorable site in the conformational ensembles of the BA.2 variant but could become fragmented and less probable in BA.1 conformations. We also uncovered several cryptic pockets formed at the inter-domain and inter-protomer interface, including functional regions of the S2 subunit and stem helix region, which are consistent with the known role of pocket residues in modulating conformational transitions and antibody recognition. The results of this study are particularly significant for understanding the dynamic and network features of the universe of available binding pockets in spike proteins, as well as the effects of the Omicron-variant-specific modulation of preferential druggable pockets. The exploration of predicted druggable sites can present a new and previously underappreciated opportunity for therapeutic interventions for Omicron variants through the conformation-selective and variant-specific targeting of functional sites involved in allosteric changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennady Verkhivker
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
| | - Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA; (M.A.); (G.G.)
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Nguyen H, Nguyen HL, Lan PD, Thai NQ, Sikora M, Li MS. Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with host cells and antibodies: experiment and simulation. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:6497-6553. [PMID: 37650302 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01170g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic announced by WHO in March 2020. Through unprecedented scientific effort, several vaccines, drugs and antibodies have been developed, saving millions of lives, but the fight against COVID-19 continues as immune escape variants of concern such as Delta and Omicron emerge. To develop more effective treatments and to elucidate the side effects caused by vaccines and therapeutic agents, a deeper understanding of the molecular interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with them and human cells is required. With special interest in computational approaches, we will focus on the structure of SARS-CoV-2 and the interaction of its spike protein with human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) as a prime entry point of the virus into host cells. In addition, other possible viral receptors will be considered. The fusion of viral and human membranes and the interaction of the spike protein with antibodies and nanobodies will be discussed, as well as the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on protein synthesis in host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung Nguyen
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Hoang Linh Nguyen
- Institute of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Duy Tan University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
| | - Pham Dang Lan
- Life Science Lab, Institute for Computational Science and Technology, Quang Trung Software City, Tan Chanh Hiep Ward, District 12, 729110 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics, VNUHCM-University of Science, 227, Nguyen Van Cu Street, District 5, 749000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Quoc Thai
- Dong Thap University, 783 Pham Huu Lau Street, Ward 6, Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap, Vietnam
| | - Mateusz Sikora
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mai Suan Li
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland.
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Justo Arevalo S, Castillo-Chávez A, Uribe Calampa CS, Zapata Sifuentes D, Huallpa CJ, Landa Bianchi G, Garavito-Salini Casas R, Quiñones Aguilar M, Pineda Chavarría R. What do we know about the function of SARS-CoV-2 proteins? Front Immunol 2023; 14:1249607. [PMID: 37790934 PMCID: PMC10544941 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1249607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance in the understanding of the biology of SARS-CoV-2. After more than two years since the first report of COVID-19, it remains crucial to continue studying how SARS-CoV-2 proteins interact with the host metabolism to cause COVID-19. In this review, we summarize the findings regarding the functions of the 16 non-structural, 6 accessory and 4 structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins. We place less emphasis on the spike protein, which has been the subject of several recent reviews. Furthermore, comprehensive reviews about COVID-19 therapeutic have been also published. Therefore, we do not delve into details on these topics; instead we direct the readers to those other reviews. To avoid confusions with what we know about proteins from other coronaviruses, we exclusively report findings that have been experimentally confirmed in SARS-CoV-2. We have identified host mechanisms that appear to be the primary targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including gene expression and immune response pathways such as ribosome translation, JAK/STAT, RIG-1/MDA5 and NF-kβ pathways. Additionally, we emphasize the multiple functions exhibited by SARS-CoV-2 proteins, along with the limited information available for some of these proteins. Our aim with this review is to assist researchers and contribute to the ongoing comprehension of SARS-CoV-2's pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Justo Arevalo
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru
- Departmento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Daniela Zapata Sifuentes
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru
- Departmento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - César J. Huallpa
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru
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Zhang Q, Tang W, Stancanelli E, Jung E, Syed Z, Pagadala V, Saidi L, Chen CZ, Gao P, Xu M, Pavlinov I, Li B, Huang W, Chen L, Liu J, Xie H, Zheng W, Ye Y. Host heparan sulfate promotes ACE2 super-cluster assembly and enhances SARS-CoV-2-associated syncytium formation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5777. [PMID: 37723160 PMCID: PMC10507024 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41453-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection causes spike-dependent fusion of infected cells with ACE2 positive neighboring cells, generating multi-nuclear syncytia that are often associated with severe COVID. To better elucidate the mechanism of spike-induced syncytium formation, we combine chemical genetics with 4D confocal imaging to establish the cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) as a critical stimulator for spike-induced cell-cell fusion. We show that HS binds spike and promotes spike-induced ACE2 clustering, forming synapse-like cell-cell contacts that facilitate fusion pore formation between ACE2-expresing and spike-transfected human cells. Chemical or genetic inhibition of HS mitigates ACE2 clustering, and thus, syncytium formation, whereas in a cell-free system comprising purified HS and lipid-anchored ACE2, HS stimulates ACE2 clustering directly in the presence of spike. Furthermore, HS-stimulated syncytium formation and receptor clustering require a conserved ACE2 linker distal from the spike-binding site. Importantly, the cell fusion-boosting function of HS can be targeted by an investigational HS-binding drug, which reduces syncytium formation in vitro and viral infection in mice. Thus, HS, as a host factor exploited by SARS-CoV-2 to facilitate receptor clustering and a stimulator of infection-associated syncytium formation, may be a promising therapeutic target for severe COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Weichun Tang
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Virus Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Eduardo Stancanelli
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Eunkyung Jung
- Center for Drug Design, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Zulfeqhar Syed
- Electron Microscopy Core, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Vijayakanth Pagadala
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Glycan Therapeutics Corp, 617 Hutton Street, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Layla Saidi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Catherine Z Chen
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Peng Gao
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Miao Xu
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Ivan Pavlinov
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Bing Li
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Wenwei Huang
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Liqiang Chen
- Center for Drug Design, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Jian Liu
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Hang Xie
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Virus Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20850, USA
| | - Yihong Ye
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Wu HB, Wang CH, Chung YD, Shan YS, Lin YJ, Tsai HP, Lee GB. Highly-specific aptamer targeting SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein screened on an automatic integrated microfluidic system for COVID-19 diagnosis. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1274:341531. [PMID: 37455073 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have evolved such that it may be challenging for diagnosis and clinical treatment of the pandemic coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Compared with developed SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tools recently, aptamers may exhibit some advantages, including high specificity/affinity, longer shelf life (vs. antibodies), and could be easily prepared. Herein an integrated microfluidic system was developed to automatically carry out one novel screening process based on the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) for screening aptamers specific with SARS-CoV-2. The new screening process started with five rounds of positive selection (with the S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2). In addition, including non-target viruses (influenza A and B), human respiratory tract-related cancer cells (adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial cells and dysplastic oral keratinocytes), and upper respiratory tract-related infectious bacteria (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae), and human saliva were involved to increase the specificity of the screened aptamer during the negative selection. Totally, all 10 rounds could be completed within 20 h. The dissociation constant of the selected aptamer was determined to be 63.0 nM with S1 protein. Limits of detection for Wuhan and Omicron clinical strains were found to be satisfactory for clinical applications (i.e. 4.80 × 101 and 1.95 × 102 copies/mL, respectively). Moreover, the developed aptamer was verified to be capable of capturing inactivated SARS-CoV-2 viruses, eight SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-viruses, and clinical isolates of SARS-CoV-2 viruses. For high-variable emerging viruses, this developed integrated microfluidic system can be used to rapidly select highly-specific aptamers based on the novel SELEX methods to deal with infectious diseases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Bin Wu
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Hung Wang
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Da Chung
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yan-Shen Shan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Jun Lin
- Department of Pathology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Huey-Pin Tsai
- Department of Pathology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Gwo-Bin Lee
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Institute of NanoEngineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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121
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Niort K, Dancourt J, Boedec E, Al Amir Dache Z, Lavieu G, Tareste D. Cholesterol and Ceramide Facilitate Membrane Fusion Mediated by the Fusion Peptide of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:32729-32739. [PMID: 37720777 PMCID: PMC10500581 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c03610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells is mediated by the Spike (S) protein of the viral envelope. The S protein is composed of two subunits: S1 that induces binding to the host cell via its interaction with the ACE2 receptor of the cell surface and S2 that triggers fusion between viral and cellular membranes. Fusion by S2 depends on its heptad repeat domains that bring membranes close together and its fusion peptide (FP) that interacts with and perturbs the membrane structure to trigger fusion. Recent studies have suggested that cholesterol and ceramide lipids from the cell surface may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells, but their exact mode of action remains unknown. We have used a combination of in vitro liposome-liposome and in situ cell-cell fusion assays to study the lipid determinants of S-mediated membrane fusion. Our findings reveal that both cholesterol and ceramide lipids facilitate fusion, suggesting that targeting these lipids could be effective against SARS-CoV-2. As a proof of concept, we examined the effect of chlorpromazine (CPZ), an antipsychotic drug known to perturb membrane structure. Our results show that CPZ effectively inhibits S-mediated membrane fusion, thereby potentially impeding SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Niort
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S 1266, Institute of Psychiatry and
Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), Paris 75014, France
| | - Julia Dancourt
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm U 1316, CNRS UMR 7057, Laboratoire Matières
et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), Paris 75006, France
| | - Erwan Boedec
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S 1266, Institute of Psychiatry and
Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), Paris 75014, France
| | - Zahra Al Amir Dache
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm U 1316, CNRS UMR 7057, Laboratoire Matières
et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), Paris 75006, France
| | - Grégory Lavieu
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm U 1316, CNRS UMR 7057, Laboratoire Matières
et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), Paris 75006, France
| | - David Tareste
- Université
Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S 1266, Institute of Psychiatry and
Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), Paris 75014, France
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Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. Examining Functional Linkages Between Conformational Dynamics, Protein Stability and Evolution of Cryptic Binding Pockets in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Spike Complexes with the ACE2 Host Receptor: Recombinant Omicron Variants Mediate Variability of Conserved Allosteric Sites and Binding Epitopes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.11.557205. [PMID: 37745525 PMCID: PMC10515794 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.11.557205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
In the current study, we explore coarse-grained simulations and atomistic molecular dynamics together with binding energetics scanning and cryptic pocket detection in a comparative examination of conformational landscapes and systematic characterization of allosteric binding sites in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 spike full-length trimer complexes with the host receptor ACE2. Microsecond simulations, Markov state models and mutational scanning of binding energies of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 and BA.2.75 receptor binding domain complexes revealed the increased thermodynamic stabilization of the BA.2.75 variant and significant dynamic differences between these Omicron variants. Molecular simulations of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike full length trimer complexes with the ACE2 receptor complemented atomistic studies and enabled an in-depth analysis of mutational and binding effects on conformational dynamic and functional adaptability of the Omicron variants. Despite considerable structural similarities, Omicron variants BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 can induce unique conformational dynamic signatures and specific distributions of the conformational states. Using conformational ensembles of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike trimer complexes with ACE2, we conducted a comprehensive cryptic pocket screening to examine the role of Omicron mutations and ACE2 binding on the distribution and functional mechanisms of the emerging allosteric binding sites. This analysis captured all experimentally known allosteric sites and discovered networks of inter-connected and functionally relevant allosteric sites that are governed by variant-sensitive conformational adaptability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike structures. The results detailed how ACE2 binding and Omicron mutations in the BA.2, BA.2.75 and XBB.1 spike complexes modulate the distribution of conserved and druggable allosteric pockets harboring functionally important regions. The results of are significant for understanding functional roles of druggable cryptic pockets that can be used for allostery-mediated therapeutic intervention targeting conformational states of the Omicron variants.
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Curtis NC, Shin S, Hederman AP, Connor RI, Wieland-Alter WF, Ionov S, Boylston J, Rose J, Sakharkar M, Dorman DB, Dessaint JA, Gwilt LL, Crowley AR, Feldman J, Hauser BM, Schmidt AG, Ashare A, Walker LM, Wright PF, Ackerman ME, Lee J. Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Patients' Serological Repertoire Reveals High Prevalence of Iso-RBD Antibodies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.08.556349. [PMID: 37745524 PMCID: PMC10515772 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.08.556349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
While our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and antibody responses following infection and vaccination has improved tremendously since the outbreak in 2019, the sequence identities and relative abundances of the individual constituent antibody molecules in circulation remain understudied. Using Ig-Seq, we proteomically profiled the serological repertoire specific to the whole ectodomain of SARS-CoV-2 prefusion-stabilized spike (S) as well as to the receptor binding domain (RBD) over a 6-month period in four subjects following SARS-CoV-2 infection before SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were available. In each individual, we identified between 59 and 167 unique IgG clonotypes in serum. To our surprise, we discovered that ∼50% of serum IgG specific for RBD did not recognize prefusion-stabilized S (referred to as iso-RBD antibodies), suggesting that a significant fraction of serum IgG targets epitopes on RBD inaccessible on the prefusion-stabilized conformation of S. On the other hand, the abundance of iso-RBD antibodies in nine individuals who received mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines encoding prefusion-stabilized S was significantly lower (∼8%). We expressed a panel of 12 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that were abundantly present in serum from two SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals, and their binding specificities to prefusion-stabilized S and RBD were all in agreement with the binding specificities assigned based on the proteomics data, including 1 iso-RBD mAb which bound to RBD but not to prefusion-stabilized S. 2 of 12 mAbs demonstrated neutralizing activity, while other mAbs were non-neutralizing. 11 of 12 mAbs also bound to S (B.1.351), but only 1 maintained binding to S (B.1.1.529). This particular mAb binding to S (B.1.1.529) 1) represented an antibody lineage that comprised 43% of the individual's total S-reactive serum IgG binding titer 6 months post-infection, 2) bound to the S from a related human coronavirus, HKU1, and 3) had a high somatic hypermutation level (10.9%), suggesting that this antibody lineage likely had been elicited previously by pre-pandemic coronavirus and was re-activated following the SARS-CoV-2 infection. All 12 mAbs demonstrated their ability to engage in Fc-mediated effector function activities. Collectively, our study provides a quantitative overview of the serological repertoire following SARS-CoV-2 infection and the significant contribution of iso-RBD antibodies, demonstrating how vaccination strategies involving prefusion-stabilized S may have reduced the elicitation of iso-RBD serum antibodies which are unlikely to contribute to protection.
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Frische A, Gunalan V, Krogfelt KA, Fomsgaard A, Lassaunière R. A Candidate DNA Vaccine Encoding the Native SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Induces Anti-Subdomain 1 Antibodies. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1451. [PMID: 37766128 PMCID: PMC10535225 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The ideal vaccine against viral infections should elicit antibody responses that protect against divergent strains. Designing broadly protective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and other divergent viruses requires insight into the specific targets of cross-protective antibodies on the viral surface protein(s). However, unlike therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, the B-cell epitopes of vaccine-induced polyclonal antibody responses remain poorly defined. Here we show that, through the combination of neutralizing antibody functional responses with B-cell epitope mapping, it is possible to identify unique antibody targets associated with neutralization breadth. The polyclonal antibody profiles of SARS-CoV-2 index-strain-vaccinated rabbits that demonstrated a low, intermediate, or high neutralization efficiency of different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) were distinctly different. Animals with an intermediate and high cross-neutralization of VOCs targeted fewer antigenic sites on the spike protein and targeted one particular epitope, subdomain 1 (SD1), situated outside the receptor binding domain (RBD). Our results indicate that a targeted functional antibody response and an additional focus on non-RBD epitopes could be effective for broad protection against different SARS-CoV-2 variants. We anticipate that the approach taken in this study can be applied to other viral vaccines for identifying future epitopes that confer cross-neutralizing antibody responses, and that our findings will inform a rational vaccine design for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Frische
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; (A.F.); (V.G.); (K.A.K.); (A.F.)
- Section of Molecular and Medicinal Biology, Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Vithiagaran Gunalan
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; (A.F.); (V.G.); (K.A.K.); (A.F.)
| | - Karen Angeliki Krogfelt
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; (A.F.); (V.G.); (K.A.K.); (A.F.)
- Section of Molecular and Medicinal Biology, Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Fomsgaard
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; (A.F.); (V.G.); (K.A.K.); (A.F.)
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Ria Lassaunière
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; (A.F.); (V.G.); (K.A.K.); (A.F.)
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Wells EW, Parker MT. Regulating Select Agent Chimeras: Defining the Problem(s) Through the Lens of SARS-CoV-1/SARS-CoV-2 Chimeric Viruses. Health Secur 2023; 21:392-406. [PMID: 37703547 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2023.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In late 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted an interim final rule (86 FR 64075) to the federal register regulating the possession, use, and transfer of SARS-CoV-1/SARS-CoV-2 chimeric viruses. In doing so, the CDC provided the reasoning that viral chimeras combining the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 with the pathogenicity and lethality of SARS-CoV-1 pose a significant risk to public health and should thus be placed on the select agents and toxins list. However, 86 FR 64075 lacked clarity in its definitions and scope, some of which the CDC addressed in response to public comments in the final rule, 88 FR 13322, in early 2023. To evaluate these regulatory actions, we reviewed the existing select agent regulations to understand the landscape of chimeric virus regulation. Based on our findings, we first present clear definitions for the terms "chimeric virus," "viral chimera," and "virulence factor" and provide a list of SARS-CoV-1 virulence factors in an effort to aid researchers and federal rulemaking for these agents moving forward. We then provide suggestions for a combination of similarity and functional characteristic cutoffs that the government could use to enable researchers to distinguish between regulated and nonregulated chimeras. Finally, we discuss current select agent regulations and their overlaps with 86 FR 64075 and 88 FR 13322 and make suggestions for how to address chimera concerns within and/or without these regulations. Collectively, we believe that our findings fill important gaps in current federal regulations and provide forward-looking philosophical and practical analysis that can guide future decisionmaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth W Wells
- Elizabeth W. Wells is a Student, Department of Biology, Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Michael T Parker
- Michael T. Parker, PhD, is Assistant Dean, Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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Zhang X, Li Z, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Wang J, Liu B, Chen Q, Wang Q, Fu L, Wang P, Zhong X, Jin L, Yan Q, Chen L, He J, Zhao J, Xiong X. Disulfide stabilization reveals conserved dynamic features between SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 spikes. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201796. [PMID: 37402591 PMCID: PMC10320017 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) is structurally dynamic and has been observed by cryo-EM to adopt a variety of prefusion conformations that can be categorized as locked, closed, and open. S-trimers adopting locked conformations are tightly packed featuring structural elements incompatible with RBD in the "up" position. For SARS-CoV-2 S, it has been shown that the locked conformations are transient under neutral pH. Probably because of their transience, locked conformations remain largely uncharacterized for SARS-CoV-1 S. In this study, we introduced x1, x2, and x3 disulfides into SARS-CoV-1 S. Some of these disulfides have been shown to preserve rare locked conformations when introduced to SARS-CoV-2 S. Introduction of these disulfides allowed us to image a variety of locked and other rare conformations for SARS-CoV-1 S by cryo-EM. We identified bound cofactors and structural features that are associated with SARS-CoV-1 S locked conformations. We compare newly determined structures with other available spike structures of SARS-related CoVs to identify conserved features and discuss their possible functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zimu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yutong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Banghui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiuluan Chen
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lutang Fu
- Cryo-electron Microscopy Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Peiyi Wang
- Cryo-electron Microscopy Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhong
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Jin
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Qihong Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun He
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jincun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoli Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Hasan Z, Masood KI, Qaiser S, Khan E, Hussain A, Ghous Z, Khan U, Yameen M, Hassan I, Nasir MI, Qazi MF, Memon HA, Ali S, Baloch S, Bhutta ZA, Veldhoen M, Pedro Simas J, Mahmood SF, Ghias K, Hussain R. Investigating the impact of prior COVID-19 on IgG antibody and interferon γ responses after BBIBP-CorV vaccination in a disease endemic population: A prospective observational study. Health Sci Rep 2023; 6:e1521. [PMID: 37692793 PMCID: PMC10486204 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims COVID-19 vaccinations have reduced morbidity and mortality from the disease. Antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) have been associated with immune protection. Seroprevalence studies revealed high immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels to SARS-CoV-2 in the Pakistani population before vaccinations. We investigated the effect of BBIBP-CorV vaccination on circulating IgG antibodies and interferon (IFN)-γ from T cells measured in a cohort of healthy individuals, with respect to age, gender, and history of COVID-19. Methods The study was conducted between April and October 2021. BBIBP-CorV vaccinated participants were followed up to 24 weeks. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and its receptor-binding domain (RBD) were measured. IFNγ secreted by whole blood stimulation of Spike protein and extended genome antigens was determined. Results Study participants with a history of prior COVID-19 displayed a higher magnitude of IgG antibodies to Spike and RBD. IgG seropositivity was greater in those with prior COVID-19, aged 50 years or younger and in females. At 24 weeks after vaccination, 37.4% of participants showed IFN-γ responses to SARS-CoV-2 antigens. T cell IFN-γ release was higher in those with prior COVID-19 and those aged 50 years or less. Highest IFN-γ release was observed to extended genome antigens in individuals both with and without prior COVID-19. Conclusion We found that IgG seropositivity to both Spike and RBD was affected by prior COVID-19, age and gender. Importantly, seropositive responses persisted up to 24 weeks after vaccination. Persistence of vaccine induced IgG antibodies may be linked to the high seroprevalence observed earlier in unvaccinated individuals. Increased T cell reactivity to Spike and extended genome antigens reflects cellular activation induced by BBIBP-CorV. COVID-19 vaccination may have longer lasting immune responses in populations with a higher seroprevalence. These data inform on vaccination booster policies for high-risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Hasan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Kiran Iqbal Masood
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Shama Qaiser
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Erum Khan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Areeba Hussain
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Zara Ghous
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Unab Khan
- Department of Family MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Maliha Yameen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Imran Hassan
- Department of Family MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | | | | | - Haris Ali Memon
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Shiza Ali
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Sadaf Baloch
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
- Center of Excellence in Women and Child HealthAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
- Center for Global Child HealthHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
| | - Marc Veldhoen
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de MedicinaUniversidade de LisboaLisbonPortugal
| | - J. Pedro Simas
- Católica Biomedical Research Center, Católica Medical SchoolUniversidade Católica PortuguesaLisboaPortugal
| | | | - Kulsoom Ghias
- Department of Biological and Biomedical SciencesAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
| | - Rabia Hussain
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineAga Khan UniversityKarachiPakistan
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128
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Qing E, Gallagher T. Adaptive variations in SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins: effects on distinct virus-cell entry stages. mBio 2023; 14:e0017123. [PMID: 37382441 PMCID: PMC10470846 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00171-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolved SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) spread through human populations in succession. Major virus variations are in the entry-facilitating viral spike (S) proteins; Omicron VOCs have 29-40 S mutations relative to ancestral D614G viruses. The impacts of this Omicron divergence on S protein structure, antigenicity, cell entry pathways, and pathogenicity have been extensively evaluated, yet gaps remain in correlating specific alterations with S protein functions. In this study, we compared the functions of ancestral D614G and Omicron VOCs using cell-free assays that can reveal differences in several distinct steps of the S-directed virus entry process. Relative to ancestral D614G, Omicron BA.1 S proteins were hypersensitized to receptor activation, to conversion into intermediate conformational states, and to membrane fusion-activating proteases. We identified mutations conferring these changes in S protein character by evaluating domain-exchanged D614G/Omicron recombinants in the cell-free assays. Each of the three functional alterations was mapped to specific S protein domains, with the recombinants providing insights on inter-domain interactions that fine-tune S-directed virus entry. Our results provide a structure-function atlas of the S protein variations that may promote the transmissibility and infectivity of current and future SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. IMPORTANCE Continuous SARS-CoV-2 adaptations generate increasingly transmissible variants. These succeeding variants show ever-increasing evasion of suppressive antibodies and host factors, as well as increasing invasion of susceptible host cells. Here, we evaluated the adaptations enhancing invasion. We used reductionist cell-free assays to compare the entry steps of ancestral (D614G) and Omicron (BA.1) variants. Relative to D614G, Omicron entry was distinguished by heightened responsiveness to entry-facilitating receptors and proteases and by enhanced formation of intermediate states that execute virus-cell membrane fusion. We found that these Omicron-specific characteristics arose from mutations in specific S protein domains and subdomains. The results reveal the inter-domain networks controlling S protein dynamics and efficiencies of entry steps, and they offer insights on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants that arise and ultimately dominate infections worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enya Qing
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
| | - Tom Gallagher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
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Lv B, Huang S, Huang H, Niu N, Liu J. Endothelial Glycocalyx Injury in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Targeted Therapy. Mediators Inflamm 2023; 2023:6685251. [PMID: 37674786 PMCID: PMC10480029 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6685251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This review aims at summarizing state-of-the-art knowledge on glycocalyx and SARS-CoV-2. The endothelial glycocalyx is a dynamic grid overlying the surface of the endothelial cell (EC) lumen and consists of membrane-bound proteoglycans and glycoproteins. The role of glycocalyx has been determined in the regulation of EC permeability, adhesion, and coagulation. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to β-coronavirus that causes the outbreak and the pandemic of COVID-19. Through the respiratory tract, SARS-CoV-2 enters blood circulation and interacts with ECs possessing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Intact glycolyx prevents SARS-CoV-2 invasion of ECs. When the glycocalyx is incomplete, virus spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds with ACE2 and enters ECs for replication. In addition, cytokine storm targets glycocalyx, leading to subsequent coagulation disorder. Therefore, it is intriguing to develop a novel treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection through the maintenance of the integrity of glycocalyx. This review aims to summarize state-of-the-art knowledge of glycocalyx and its potential function in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingxuan Lv
- The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan 250033, China
| | - Shengshi Huang
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Hong Huang
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Na Niu
- Department of Pediatrics, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong First Medical University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan 250021, China
| | - Ju Liu
- Medical Research Center, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, China
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130
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Chen Y, Mason GH, Scourfield DO, Greenshields-Watson A, Haigh TA, Sewell AK, Long HM, Gallimore AM, Rizkallah P, MacLachlan BJ, Godkin A. Structural definition of HLA class II-presented SARS-CoV-2 epitopes reveals a mechanism to escape pre-existing CD4 + T cell immunity. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112827. [PMID: 37471227 PMCID: PMC10840515 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
CD4+ T cells recognize a broad range of peptide epitopes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which contribute to immune memory and limit COVID-19 disease. We demonstrate that the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 peptides, in the context of the model allotype HLA-DR1, does not correlate with their binding affinity to the HLA heterodimer. Analyzing six epitopes, some with very low binding affinity, we solve X-ray crystallographic structures of each bound to HLA-DR1. Further structural definitions reveal the precise molecular impact of viral variant mutations on epitope presentation. Omicron escaped ancestral SARS-CoV-2 immunity to two epitopes through two distinct mechanisms: (1) mutations to TCR-facing epitope positions and (2) a mechanism whereby a single amino acid substitution caused a register shift within the HLA binding groove, completely altering the peptide-HLA structure. This HLA-II-specific paradigm of immune escape highlights how CD4+ T cell memory is finely poised at the level of peptide-HLA-II presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Chen
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Georgina H Mason
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - D Oliver Scourfield
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Alexander Greenshields-Watson
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Tracey A Haigh
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Heather M Long
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Awen M Gallimore
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Pierre Rizkallah
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Bruce J MacLachlan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
| | - Andrew Godkin
- Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunity University Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK.
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131
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Xiao S, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Tao P, Verkhivker G. Markov State Models and Perturbation-Based Approaches Reveal Distinct Dynamic Signatures and Hidden Allosteric Pockets in the Emerging SARS-Cov-2 Spike Omicron Variant Complexes with the Host Receptor: The Interplay of Dynamics and Convergent Evolution Modulates Allostery and Functional Mechanisms. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:5272-5296. [PMID: 37549201 PMCID: PMC11162552 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
The new generation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants displayed a significant growth advantage and increased viral fitness by acquiring convergent mutations, suggesting that the immune pressure can promote convergent evolution leading to the sudden acceleration of SARS-CoV-2 evolution. In the current study, we combined structural modeling, microsecond molecular dynamics simulations, and Markov state models to characterize conformational landscapes and identify specific dynamic signatures of the SARS-CoV-2 spike complexes with the host receptor ACE2 for the recently emerged highly transmissible XBB.1, XBB.1.5, BQ.1, and BQ.1.1 Omicron variants. Microsecond simulations and Markovian modeling provided a detailed characterization of the functional conformational states and revealed the increased thermodynamic stabilization of the XBB.1.5 subvariant, which can be contrasted to more dynamic BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants. Despite considerable structural similarities, Omicron mutations can induce unique dynamic signatures and specific distributions of the conformational states. The results suggested that variant-specific changes of the conformational mobility in the functional interfacial loops of the receptor-binding domain in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can be fine-tuned through crosstalk between convergent mutations which could provide an evolutionary path for modulation of immune escape. By combining atomistic simulations and Markovian modeling analysis with perturbation-based approaches, we determined important complementary roles of convergent mutation sites as effectors and receivers of allosteric signaling involved in modulation of conformational plasticity and regulation of allosteric communications. This study also revealed hidden allosteric pockets and suggested that convergent mutation sites could control evolution and distribution of allosteric pockets through modulation of conformational plasticity in the flexible adaptable regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275, United States
| | - Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
| | - Peng Tao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275, United States
| | - Gennady Verkhivker
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, California 92618, United States
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132
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Verkhivker G, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P. Probing conformational landscapes of binding and allostery in the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant complexes using microsecond atomistic simulations and perturbation-based profiling approaches: hidden role of omicron mutations as modulators of allosteric signaling and epistatic relationships. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:21245-21266. [PMID: 37548589 PMCID: PMC10536792 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02042h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we systematically examine the conformational dynamics, binding and allosteric communications in the Omicron BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and BA.4/BA.5 spike protein complexes with the ACE2 host receptor using molecular dynamics simulations and perturbation-based network profiling approaches. Microsecond atomistic simulations provided a detailed characterization of the conformational landscapes and revealed the increased thermodynamic stabilization of the BA.2 variant which can be contrasted with the BA.4/BA.5 variants inducing a significant mobility of the complexes. Using the dynamics-based mutational scanning of spike residues, we identified structural stability and binding affinity hotspots in the Omicron complexes. Perturbation response scanning and network-based mutational profiling approaches probed the effect of the Omicron mutations on allosteric interactions and communications in the complexes. The results of this analysis revealed specific roles of Omicron mutations as conformationally plastic and evolutionary adaptable modulators of binding and allostery which are coupled to the major regulatory positions through interaction networks. Through perturbation network scanning of allosteric residue potentials in the Omicron variant complexes performed in the background of the original strain, we characterized regions of epistatic couplings that are centered around the binding affinity hotspots N501Y and Q498R. Our results dissected the vital role of these epistatic centers in regulating protein stability, efficient ACE2 binding and allostery which allows for accumulation of multiple Omicron immune escape mutations at other sites. Through integrative computational approaches, this study provides a systematic analysis of the effects of Omicron mutations on thermodynamics, binding and allosteric signaling in the complexes with ACE2 receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennady Verkhivker
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.
| | - Sian Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, 75275, USA.
| | - Peng Tao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Research Computing, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, 75275, USA.
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133
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Huang Y, Zhang J, Wang W, Yang C, Song Y. Diverse SARS-CoV-2 aptamers overcome variant antigenic shift. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:9766-9769. [PMID: 37483145 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc02102e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 mutates rapidly as evidenced by the emergence of Omicron which causes changes in the recognition epitopes of most current neutralizing antibodies and immune evasion. Although aptamers are potential neutralizing agents for SARS-CoV-2 due to their unique molecular properties, it is difficult to compare their performances as assay conditions vary greatly, and their activity levels against variants remain unknown. Here, we evaluated the performances of 14 SARS-CoV-2 aptamers and provided a comprehensive analysis them, which we expect will improve the development of aptamer tools for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihao Huang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
| | - Jialu Zhang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
| | - Wencheng Wang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
| | - Chaoyong Yang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
- Department Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Yanling Song
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China.
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134
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Liu C, Wang L, Merriam JS, Shi W, Yang ES, Zhang Y, Chen M, Kong WP, Cheng C, Tsybovsky Y, Stephens T, Verardi R, Leung K, Stein C, Olia AS, Harris DR, Choe M, Zhang B, Graham BS, Kwong PD, Koup RA, Pegu A, Mascola JR. Self-assembling SARS-CoV-2 spike-HBsAg nanoparticles elicit potent and durable neutralizing antibody responses via genetic delivery. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:111. [PMID: 37553406 PMCID: PMC10409857 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00707-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
While several COVID-19 vaccines have been in use, more effective and durable vaccines are needed to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we report highly immunogenic self-assembling SARS-CoV-2 spike-HBsAg nanoparticles displaying a six-proline-stabilized WA1 (wild type, WT) spike S6P on a HBsAg core. These S6P-HBsAgs bound diverse domain-specific SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies. In mice with and without a HBV pre-vaccination, DNA immunization with S6P-HBsAgs elicited significantly more potent and durable neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against diverse SARS-CoV-2 strains than that of soluble S2P or S6P, or full-length S2P with its coding sequence matching mRNA-1273. The nAb responses elicited by S6P-HBsAgs persisted substantially longer than by soluble S2P or S6P and appeared to be enhanced by HBsAg pre-exposure. These data show that genetic delivery of SARS-CoV-2 S6P-HBsAg nanoparticles can elicit greater and more durable nAb responses than non-nanoparticle forms of stabilized spike. Our findings highlight the potential of S6P-HBsAgs as next generation genetic vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuiping Liu
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Lingshu Wang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jonah S Merriam
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Wei Shi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Eun Sung Yang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Man Chen
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Wing-Pui Kong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Cheng Cheng
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yaroslav Tsybovsky
- Vaccine Research Center Electron Microscopy Unit, Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Tyler Stephens
- Vaccine Research Center Electron Microscopy Unit, Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Raffaello Verardi
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Kwanyee Leung
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Cody Stein
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Adam S Olia
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Darcy R Harris
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Misook Choe
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Baoshan Zhang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Barney S Graham
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Richard A Koup
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Amarendra Pegu
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - John R Mascola
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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135
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Oliveira ASF, Shoemark DK, Davidson AD, Berger I, Schaffitzel C, Mulholland AJ. SARS-CoV-2 spike variants differ in their allosteric responses to linoleic acid. J Mol Cell Biol 2023; 15:mjad021. [PMID: 36990513 PMCID: PMC10563148 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contains a functionally important fatty acid (FA) binding site, which is also found in some other coronaviruses, e.g. SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. The occupancy of the FA site by linoleic acid (LA) reduces infectivity by 'locking' the spike in a less infectious conformation. Here, we use dynamical-nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (D-NEMD) simulations to compare the allosteric responses of spike variants to LA removal. D-NEMD simulations show that the FA site is coupled to other functional regions of the protein, e.g. the receptor-binding motif (RBM), N-terminal domain (NTD), furin cleavage site, and regions surrounding the fusion peptide. D-NEMD simulations also identify the allosteric networks connecting the FA site to these functional regions. The comparison between the wild-type spike and four variants (Alpha, Delta, Delta plus, and Omicron BA.1) shows that the variants differ significantly in their responses to LA removal. The allosteric connections to the FA site on Alpha are generally similar to those on the wild-type protein, with the exception of the RBM and the S71-R78 region, which show a weaker link to the FA site. In contrast, Omicron is the most different variant, exhibiting significant differences in the RBM, NTD, V622-L629, and furin cleavage site. These differences in the allosteric modulation may be of functional relevance, potentially affecting transmissibility and virulence. Experimental comparison of the effects of LA on SARS-CoV-2 variants, including emerging variants, is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Sofia F Oliveira
- School of Chemistry, Centre for Computational Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | | | - Andrew D Davidson
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Imre Berger
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
- School of Chemistry, Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | | | - Adrian J Mulholland
- School of Chemistry, Centre for Computational Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
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Baggen J, Jacquemyn M, Persoons L, Vanstreels E, Pye VE, Wrobel AG, Calvaresi V, Martin SR, Roustan C, Cronin NB, Reading E, Thibaut HJ, Vercruysse T, Maes P, De Smet F, Yee A, Nivitchanyong T, Roell M, Franco-Hernandez N, Rhinn H, Mamchak AA, Ah Young-Chapon M, Brown E, Cherepanov P, Daelemans D. TMEM106B is a receptor mediating ACE2-independent SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. Cell 2023; 186:3427-3442.e22. [PMID: 37421949 PMCID: PMC10409496 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is associated with broad tissue tropism, a characteristic often determined by the availability of entry receptors on host cells. Here, we show that TMEM106B, a lysosomal transmembrane protein, can serve as an alternative receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry into angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-negative cells. Spike substitution E484D increased TMEM106B binding, thereby enhancing TMEM106B-mediated entry. TMEM106B-specific monoclonal antibodies blocked SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrating a role of TMEM106B in viral entry. Using X-ray crystallography, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), we show that the luminal domain (LD) of TMEM106B engages the receptor-binding motif of SARS-CoV-2 spike. Finally, we show that TMEM106B promotes spike-mediated syncytium formation, suggesting a role of TMEM106B in viral fusion. Together, our findings identify an ACE2-independent SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanism that involves cooperative interactions with the receptors heparan sulfate and TMEM106B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim Baggen
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Maarten Jacquemyn
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Leentje Persoons
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Els Vanstreels
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Valerie E Pye
- Chromatin Structure and Mobile DNA Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Antoni G Wrobel
- Structural Biology of Disease Processes Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Valeria Calvaresi
- Department of Chemistry, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, King's College London, London SE1 1DB, UK
| | - Stephen R Martin
- Structural Biology of Disease Processes Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Chloë Roustan
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Nora B Cronin
- LonCEM Facility, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Eamonn Reading
- Department of Chemistry, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, King's College London, London SE1 1DB, UK
| | - Hendrik Jan Thibaut
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Translational Platform Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Thomas Vercruysse
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Translational Platform Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Piet Maes
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Frederik De Smet
- KU Leuven Department of Imaging and Pathology, Laboratory for Precision Cancer Medicine, Translational Cell and Tissue Research Unit, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Angie Yee
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Toey Nivitchanyong
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Marina Roell
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Herve Rhinn
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Alusha Andre Mamchak
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Eric Brown
- Alector LLC, 131 Oyster Point Blvd. Suite 600, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Peter Cherepanov
- Chromatin Structure and Mobile DNA Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Department of Infectious Disease, Section of Virology, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
| | - Dirk Daelemans
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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137
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Barrios MH, Nicholson S, Bull RA, Martinello M, Rawlinson W, Mina M, Post JJ, Hudson B, Gilroy N, Lloyd AR, Konecny P, Mordant F, Catton M, Subbarao K, Caly L, Druce J, Netter HJ. Comparative Longitudinal Serological Study of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Profiles in People with COVID-19. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1985. [PMID: 37630545 PMCID: PMC10458948 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11081985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Serological diagnostic assays are essential tools for determining an individual's protection against viruses like SARS-CoV-2, tracking the spread of the virus in the community, and evaluating population immunity. To assess the diversity and quality of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response, we have compared the antibody profiles of people with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 using a dot blot assay. The test targeted the four major structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, namely the nucleocapsid (N), spike (S) protein domains S1 and S2, and receptor-binding domain (RBD). Serum samples were collected from 63 participants at various time points for up to 300 days after disease onset. The dot blot assay revealed patient-specific differences in the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody profiles. Out of the 63 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and clinical COVID-19, 35/63 participants exhibited diverse and robust responses against the tested antigens, while 14/63 participants displayed either limited responses to a subset of antigens or no detectable antibody response to any of the antigens. Anti-N-specific antibody levels decreased within 300 days after disease onset, whereas anti-S-specific antibodies persisted. The dynamics of the antibody response did not change during the test period, indicating stable antibody profiles. Among the participants, 28/63 patients with restricted anti-S antibody profiles or undetectable anti-S antibody levels in the dot blot assay also exhibited weak neutralization activity, as measured by a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) and a microneutralization test. These results indicate that in some cases, natural infections do not lead to the production of neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, the study revealed significant serological variability among patients, regardless of the severity of their COVID-19 illness. These differences need to be carefully considered when evaluating the protective antibody status of individuals who have experienced primary SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilou H. Barrios
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Suellen Nicholson
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Rowena A. Bull
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; (R.A.B.); (M.M.); (A.R.L.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
| | - Marianne Martinello
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; (R.A.B.); (M.M.); (A.R.L.)
| | - William Rawlinson
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
- Serology and Virology Division, Department of Microbiology, New South Wales Health Pathology, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia
- Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia;
| | - Michael Mina
- Northern Beaches Hospital, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086, Australia;
| | - Jeffrey J. Post
- Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia;
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
| | - Bernard Hudson
- Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2065, Australia;
| | | | - Andrew R. Lloyd
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; (R.A.B.); (M.M.); (A.R.L.)
| | - Pamela Konecny
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
- St. George Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2217, Australia
| | - Francesca Mordant
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Mike Catton
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Kanta Subbarao
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Leon Caly
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Julian Druce
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
| | - Hans J. Netter
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (M.H.B.); (S.N.); (M.C.); (L.C.); (J.D.)
- Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (F.M.); (K.S.)
- School of Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
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138
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Roham PH, Kamath JJ, Sharma S. Dissecting the Interrelationship between COVID-19 and Diabetes Mellitus. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2300107. [PMID: 37246237 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202300107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to enormous morbidity and mortality worldwide. After gaining entry into the human host, the virus initially infects the upper and lower respiratory tract, subsequently invading multiple organs, including the pancreas. While on one hand, diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection and associated death, recent reports have shown the onset of DM in COVID-19-recovered patients. SARS-CoV-2 infiltrates the pancreatic islets and activates stress response and inflammatory signaling pathways, impairs glucose metabolism, and consequently leads to their death. Indeed, the pancreatic autopsy samples of COVID-19 patients reveal the presence of SARS-CoV-2 particles in β-cells. The current review describes how the virus enters the host cells and activates an immunological response. Further, it takes a closer look into the interrelationship between COVID-19 and DM with the aim to provide mechanistic insights into the process by which SARS-CoV-2 infects the pancreas and mediates dysfunction and death of endocrine islets. The effects of known anti-diabetic interventions for COVID-19 management are also discussed. The application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a future therapy for pancreatic β-cells damage to reverse COVID-19-induced DM is also emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratiksha H Roham
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune, Maharashtra, 411007, India
| | - Jayesh J Kamath
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune, Maharashtra, 411007, India
| | - Shilpy Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune, Maharashtra, 411007, India
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139
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Zhu J, Yan H, Shi M, Zhang M, Lu J, Wang J, Chen L, Wang Y, Li L, Miao L, Zhang H. Luteolin inhibits spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Phytother Res 2023; 37:3508-3521. [PMID: 37166054 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness that poses a serious threat to global public health. In an essential step during infection, SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein to engage with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in host cells. Chinese herbal medicines and their active components exhibit antiviral activity, with luteolin being a flavonoid that can significantly inhibit SARS-CoV infection. However, whether it can block the interaction between the S-protein RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 has not yet been elucidated. Here, we investigated the effects of luteolin on the binding of the S-protein RBD to ACE2. By employing a competitive binding assay in vitro, we found that luteolin significantly blocked the binding of S-protein RBD to ACE2 with IC50 values of 0.61 mM, which was confirmed by the neutralized infection with SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in vivo. A surface plasmon resonance-based competition assay revealed that luteolin significantly affects the binding of the S-protein RBD to the ACE2 receptor. Molecular docking was performed to predict the binding sites of luteolin to the S-protein RBD-ACE2 complex. The active binding sites were defined based on published literature, and we found that luteolin might interfere with the mixture at residues including LYS353, ASP30, and TYR83 in the cellular ACE2 receptor and GLY496, GLN498, TYR505, LEU455, GLN493, and GLU484 in the S-protein RBD. These residues may together form attractive charges and destroy the stable interaction of S-protein RBD-ACE2. Luteolin also inhibits SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-induced platelet spreading, thereby inhibiting the binding of the spike protein to ACE2. Our results are the first to provide evidence that luteolin is an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent associated with interference between viral S-protein RBD-ACE2 interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Huimin Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Mengyao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jia Lu
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiabao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Lu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Lin Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Han Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
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140
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Dokainish HM, Sugita Y. Structural effects of spike protein D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2. Biophys J 2023; 122:2910-2920. [PMID: 36397671 PMCID: PMC9671695 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A single mutation from aspartate to glycine at position 614 has dominated all circulating variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. D614G mutation induces structural changes in the spike (S) protein that strengthen the virus infectivity. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to dissect the effects of mutation and 630-loop rigidification on S-protein structure. The introduction of the mutation orders the 630-loop structure and thereby induces global structural changes toward the cryoelectron microscopy structure of the D614G S-protein. The ordered 630-loop weakens local interactions between the 614th residue and others in contrast to disordered structures in the wild-type protein. The mutation allosterically alters global interactions between receptor-binding domains, forming an asymmetric and mobile down conformation and facilitating transitions toward up conformation. The loss of salt bridge between D614 and K854 upon the mutation generally stabilizes S-protein protomer, including the fusion peptide proximal region that mediates membrane fusion. Understanding the molecular basis of D614G mutation is crucial as it dominates in all variants of concern, including Delta and Omicron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisham M Dokainish
- Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Yuji Sugita
- Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan; Laboratory for Biomolecular Function Simulation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
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141
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Modhiran N, Lauer SM, Amarilla AA, Hewins P, Lopes van den Broek SI, Low YS, Thakur N, Liang B, Nieto GV, Jung J, Paramitha D, Isaacs A, Sng JD, Song D, Jørgensen JT, Cheuquemilla Y, Bürger J, Andersen IV, Himelreichs J, Jara R, MacLoughlin R, Miranda-Chacon Z, Chana-Cuevas P, Kramer V, Spahn C, Mielke T, Khromykh AA, Munro T, Jones ML, Young PR, Chappell K, Bailey D, Kjaer A, Herth MM, Jurado KA, Schwefel D, Rojas-Fernandez A, Watterson D. A nanobody recognizes a unique conserved epitope and potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants. iScience 2023; 26:107085. [PMID: 37361875 PMCID: PMC10251734 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) Omicron variant sub-lineages spread rapidly worldwide, mostly due to their immune-evasive properties. This has put a significant part of the population at risk for severe disease and underscores the need for effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents against emergent strains in vulnerable patients. Camelid nanobodies are attractive therapeutic candidates due to their high stability, ease of large-scale production, and potential for delivery via inhalation. Here, we characterize the receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific nanobody W25 and show superior neutralization activity toward Omicron sub-lineages in comparison to all other SARS-CoV2 variants. Structure analysis of W25 in complex with the SARS-CoV2 spike glycoprotein shows that W25 engages an RBD epitope not covered by any of the antibodies previously approved for emergency use. In vivo evaluation of W25 prophylactic and therapeutic treatments across multiple SARS-CoV-2 variant infection models, together with W25 biodistribution analysis in mice, demonstrates favorable pre-clinical properties. Together, these data endorse W25 for further clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naphak Modhiran
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Malte Lauer
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alberto A. Amarilla
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Peter Hewins
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sara Irene Lopes van den Broek
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 160, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yu Shang Low
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nazia Thakur
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Guildford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Benjamin Liang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Guillermo Valenzuela Nieto
- Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Nervous System, CISNE, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - James Jung
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Devina Paramitha
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ariel Isaacs
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Julian D.J. Sng
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David Song
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jesper Tranekjær Jørgensen
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yorka Cheuquemilla
- Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Nervous System, CISNE, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Jörg Bürger
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Microscopy and Cryo-Electron Microscopy Service Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ida Vang Andersen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 160, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johanna Himelreichs
- Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Nervous System, CISNE, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Ronald Jara
- Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Nervous System, CISNE, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Ronan MacLoughlin
- Research and Development, Science and Emerging Technologies, Aerogen Limited, Galway Business Park, H91 HE94 Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Pedro Chana-Cuevas
- CETRAM & Faculty of Medical Science Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Vasko Kramer
- PositronPharma SA, Rancagua 878, 7500921 Providencia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christian Spahn
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thorsten Mielke
- Microscopy and Cryo-Electron Microscopy Service Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander A. Khromykh
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Trent Munro
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Martina L. Jones
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Paul R. Young
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Keith Chappell
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Dalan Bailey
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Guildford, UK
| | - Andreas Kjaer
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthias Manfred Herth
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 160, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kellie Ann Jurado
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David Schwefel
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alejandro Rojas-Fernandez
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Berking Biotechnology, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Daniel Watterson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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142
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Hamdy ME, El Deeb AH, Hagag NM, Shahein MA, Alaidi O, Hussein HA. Interspecies transmission of SARS CoV-2 with special emphasis on viral mutations and ACE-2 receptor homology roles. Int J Vet Sci Med 2023; 11:55-86. [PMID: 37441062 PMCID: PMC10334861 DOI: 10.1080/23144599.2023.2222981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in 2019, Wuhan, China. The spillover of the disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), to a wide range of pet, zoo, wild, and farm animals has emphasized potential zoonotic and reverse zoonotic viral transmission. Furthermore, it has evoked inquiries about susceptibility of different animal species to SARS-CoV-2 infection and role of these animals as viral reservoirs. Therefore, studying susceptible and non-susceptible hosts for SARS-CoV-2 infection could give a better understanding for the virus and will help in preventing further outbreaks. Here, we review structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the effect of the different mutations observed in the spike protein, and the impact of ACE2 receptor variations in different animal hosts on inter-species transmission. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 spillover chain was reviewed. Combination of SARS-CoV-2 high mutation rate and homology of cellular ACE2 receptors enable the virus to transcend species barriers and facilitate its transmission between humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mervat E. Hamdy
- Genome Research Unit, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ayman H. El Deeb
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, King Salman International University, South Sinai, Egypt
| | - Naglaa M. Hagag
- Genome Research Unit, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Momtaz A. Shahein
- Department of Virology, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Osama Alaidi
- Biocomplexity for Research and Consulting Co., Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hussein A. Hussein
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
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143
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Xie E, Ahmad S, Smyth RP, Sieben C. Advanced fluorescence microscopy in respiratory virus cell biology. Adv Virus Res 2023; 116:123-172. [PMID: 37524480 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2023.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Respiratory viruses are a major public health burden across all age groups around the globe, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. They can be transmitted by multiple routes, including physical contact or droplets and aerosols, resulting in efficient spreading within the human population. Investigations of the cell biology of virus replication are thus of utmost importance to gain a better understanding of virus-induced pathogenicity and the development of antiviral countermeasures. Light and fluorescence microscopy techniques have revolutionized investigations of the cell biology of virus infection by allowing the study of the localization and dynamics of viral or cellular components directly in infected cells. Advanced microscopy including high- and super-resolution microscopy techniques available today can visualize biological processes at the single-virus and even single-molecule level, thus opening a unique view on virus infection. We will highlight how fluorescence microscopy has supported investigations on virus cell biology by focusing on three major respiratory viruses: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2. We will review our current knowledge of virus replication and highlight how fluorescence microscopy has helped to improve our state of understanding. We will start by introducing major imaging and labeling modalities and conclude the chapter with a perspective discussion on remaining challenges and potential opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enyu Xie
- Nanoscale Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Shazeb Ahmad
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Redmond P Smyth
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Würzburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Sieben
- Nanoscale Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany; Institute of Genetics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
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144
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Sinha A, Sangeet S, Roy S. Evolution of Sequence and Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein: A Dynamic Perspective. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:23283-23304. [PMID: 37426203 PMCID: PMC10324094 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) enters its host cell through a surface spike protein. The viral spike protein has undergone several modifications/mutations at the genomic level, through which it modulated its structure-function and passed through several variants of concern. Recent advances in high-resolution structure determination and multiscale imaging techniques, cost-effective next-generation sequencing, and development of new computational methods (including information theory, statistical methods, machine learning, and many other artificial intelligence-based techniques) have hugely contributed to the characterization of sequence, structure, function of spike proteins, and its different variants to understand viral pathogenesis, evolutions, and transmission. Laying on the foundation of the sequence-structure-function paradigm, this review summarizes not only the important findings on structure/function but also the structural dynamics of different spike components, highlighting the effects of mutations on them. As dynamic fluctuations of three-dimensional spike structure often provide important clues for functional modulation, quantifying time-dependent fluctuations of mutational events over spike structure and its genetic/amino acidic sequence helps identify alarming functional transitions having implications for enhanced fusogenicity and pathogenicity of the virus. Although these dynamic events are more difficult to capture than quantifying a static, average property, this review encompasses those challenging aspects of characterizing the evolutionary dynamics of spike sequence and structure and their implications for functions.
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145
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Frank MG, Fleshner M, Maier SF. Exploring the immunogenic properties of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins: PAMP:TLR signaling in the mediation of the neuroinflammatory and neurologic sequelae of COVID-19. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 111:259-269. [PMID: 37116592 PMCID: PMC10132835 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) produces an array of neurologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms in the acute and post-acute phase of infection (PASC; post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection). Neuroinflammatory processes are considered key factors in the etiology of these symptoms. Several mechanisms underpinning the development of inflammatory events in the brain have been proposed including SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism and peripheral inflammatory responses (i.e., cytokine storm) to infection, which might produce neuroinflammation via immune-to-brain signaling pathways. In this review, we explore evidence in support of an alternate mechanism whereby structural proteins (e.g., spike and spike S1 subunit) derived from SARS-CoV-2 virions function as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) to elicit proinflammatory immune responses in the periphery and/or brain via classical Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) inflammatory pathways. We propose that SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins might directly produce inflammatory processes in brain independent of and/or in addition to peripheral proinflammatory effects, which might converge to play a causal role in the development of neurologic/neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Frank
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO 80301, United States.
| | - Monika Fleshner
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO 80301, United States
| | - Steven F Maier
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO 80301, United States
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146
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Zhang J, Tang W, Gao H, Lavine CL, Shi W, Peng H, Zhu H, Anand K, Kosikova M, Kwon HJ, Tong P, Gautam A, Rits-Volloch S, Wang S, Mayer ML, Wesemann DR, Seaman MS, Lu J, Xiao T, Xie H, Chen B. Structural and functional characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.2 spike protein. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:980-990. [PMID: 37430064 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01023-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
The Omicron subvariant BA.2 has become the dominant circulating strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in many countries. Here, we have characterized structural, functional and antigenic properties of the full-length BA.2 spike (S) protein and compared replication of the authentic virus in cell culture and an animal model with previously prevalent variants. BA.2 S can fuse membranes slightly more efficiently than Omicron BA.1, but still less efficiently than other previous variants. Both BA.1 and BA.2 viruses replicated substantially faster in animal lungs than the early G614 (B.1) strain in the absence of pre-existing immunity, possibly explaining the increased transmissibility despite their functionally compromised spikes. As in BA.1, mutations in the BA.2 S remodel its antigenic surfaces, leading to strong resistance to neutralizing antibodies. These results suggest that both immune evasion and replicative advantage may contribute to the heightened transmissibility of the Omicron subvariants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Weichun Tang
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Hailong Gao
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christy L Lavine
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wei Shi
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hanqin Peng
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Haisun Zhu
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Krishna Anand
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matina Kosikova
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Hyung Joon Kwon
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Pei Tong
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Avneesh Gautam
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Megan L Mayer
- The Harvard Cryo-EM Center for Structural Biology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Duane R Wesemann
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael S Seaman
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jianming Lu
- Codex BioSolutions, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tianshu Xiao
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Hang Xie
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
| | - Bing Chen
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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147
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Shi W, Cai Y, Zhu H, Peng H, Voyer J, Rits-Volloch S, Cao H, Mayer ML, Song K, Xu C, Lu J, Zhang J, Chen B. Cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 postfusion spike in membrane. Nature 2023; 619:403-409. [PMID: 37285872 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06273-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells depends on the refolding of the virus-encoded spike protein from a prefusion conformation, which is metastable after cleavage, to a lower-energy stable postfusion conformation1,2. This transition overcomes kinetic barriers for fusion of viral and target cell membranes3,4. Here we report a cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the intact postfusion spike in a lipid bilayer that represents the single-membrane product of the fusion reaction. The structure provides structural definition of the functionally critical membrane-interacting segments, including the fusion peptide and transmembrane anchor. The internal fusion peptide forms a hairpin-like wedge that spans almost the entire lipid bilayer and the transmembrane segment wraps around the fusion peptide at the last stage of membrane fusion. These results advance our understanding of the spike protein in a membrane environment and may guide development of intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Shi
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yongfei Cai
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- CSL Seqirus, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Haisun Zhu
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hanqin Peng
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jewel Voyer
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Hong Cao
- Codex BioSolutions, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Megan L Mayer
- The Harvard Cryo-EM Center for Structural Biology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kangkang Song
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Cryo-EM Core Facility, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Chen Xu
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Cryo-EM Core Facility, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jianming Lu
- Codex BioSolutions, Rockville, MD, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jun Zhang
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Bing Chen
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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148
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Hu S, Wang N, Chen S, Zhang H, Wang C, Ma W, Zhang X, Wu Y, Lv Y, Xue Z, Bai H, Ge S, He H, Lu W, Zhang T, Ding Y, Liu R, Han S, Zhan Y, Zhan G, Guo Z, Zhang Y, Lu J, Gao J, Jia Q, Wang Y, Wang H, Lu S, Jin T, Chiu S, He L. Harringtonine: A more effective antagonist for Omicron variant. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 213:115617. [PMID: 37211174 PMCID: PMC10195862 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Fusion with host cell membrane is the main mechanism of infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we propose that a new strategy to screen small-molecule antagonists blocking SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion. Using cell membrane chromatography (CMC), we found that harringtonine (HT) simultaneously targeted SARS-CoV-2 S protein and host cell surface TMPRSS2 expressed by the host cell, and subsequently confirmed that HT can inhibit membrane fusion. HT effectively blocked SARS-CoV-2 original strain entry with the IC50 of 0.217 μM, while the IC50 in delta variant decreased to 0.101 μM, the IC50 in Omicron BA.1 variant was 0.042 μM. Due to high transmissibility and immune escape, Omicron subvariant BA.5 has become the dominant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and led to escalating COVID-19 cases, however, against BA.5, HT showed a surprising effectiveness. The IC50 in Omicron BA.5 was even lower than 0.0019 μM. The above results revealed the effect of HT on Omicron is very significant. In summary, we characterize HT as a small-molecule antagonist by direct targeting on the Spike protein and TMPRSS2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiling Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Nan Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shaohong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huajun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weina Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xinghai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanni Lv
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhuoyin Xue
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Haoyun Bai
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuai Ge
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huaizhen He
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wen Lu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ding
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shengli Han
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yingzhuan Zhan
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Guanqun Zhan
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zengjun Guo
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yongjing Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jiayu Lu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jiapan Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qianqian Jia
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuejin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hongliang Wang
- Department of pathogen biology and immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Shemin Lu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tengchuan Jin
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Sandra Chiu
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
| | - Langchong He
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
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149
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Deshpande A, Schormann N, Piepenbrink MS, Sobrido LM, Kobie JJ, Walter MR. Structure and epitope of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody that targets the stem helix of β coronaviruses. FEBS J 2023; 290:3422-3435. [PMID: 37014961 PMCID: PMC10330828 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies that retain neutralizing activity against multiple coronavirus (CoV) lineages and variants of concern (VoC) must be developed to protect against future pandemics. These broadly neutralizing MAbs (BNMAbs) may be used as therapeutics and/or to assist in the rational design of vaccines that induce BNMAbs. 1249A8 is a BNMAb that targets the stem helix (SH) region of CoV spike (S) protein and neutralizes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) original strain, delta, and omicron VoC, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV). To understand its mechanism of action, the crystal structure of 1249A8 bound to a MERS-CoV SH peptide was determined at 2.1 Å resolution. BNMAb 1249A8 mimics the SARS-CoV-2 S loop residues 743-749, which interacts with the N-terminal end of the SH helix in the S post-fusion conformation. The conformation of 1249A8-bound SH is distinct from the SH conformation observed in the post-fusion SARS-CoV-2 S structure, suggesting 1249A8 disrupts the secondary structure and refolding events required for CoV post-fusion S to initiate membrane fusion and ultimately infection. This study provides novel insights into the neutralization mechanisms of SH-targeting CoV BNMAbs that may inform vaccine development and the design of optimal BNMAb therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlesha Deshpande
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, AL, USA
| | - Nobert Schormann
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, AL, USA
| | - Mike S. Piepenbrink
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Luis Martinez Sobrido
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - James J. Kobie
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Mark R. Walter
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, AL, USA
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150
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Cervantes M, Hess T, Morbioli GG, Sengar A, Kasson PM. The ACE2 receptor accelerates but is not biochemically required for SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion. Chem Sci 2023; 14:6997-7004. [PMID: 37389252 PMCID: PMC10306070 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc06967a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infects human cells via the ACE2 receptor. Structural evidence suggests that ACE2 may not just serve as an attachment factor but also conformationally activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for membrane fusion. Here, we test that hypothesis directly, using DNA-lipid tethering as a synthetic attachment factor in place of ACE2. We find that SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and virus-like particles are capable of membrane fusion without ACE2 if activated with an appropriate protease. Thus, ACE2 is not biochemically required for SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion. However, addition of soluble ACE2 speeds up the fusion reaction. On a per-spike level, ACE2 appears to promote activation for fusion and then subsequent inactivation if an appropriate protease is not present. Kinetic analysis suggests at least two rate-limiting steps for SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion, one of which is ACE2 dependent and one of which is not. Since ACE2 serves as a high-affinity attachment factor on human cells, the possibility to replace it with other factors implies a flatter fitness landscape for host adaptation by SARS-CoV-2 and future related coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Cervantes
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22908 USA
| | - Tobin Hess
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22908 USA
| | - Giorgio G Morbioli
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22908 USA
| | - Anjali Sengar
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22908 USA
| | - Peter M Kasson
- Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 22908 USA
- Science for Life Laboratory and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Uppsala University Uppsala SE 75123 USA
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