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Addetia A, Stewart C, Seo AJ, Sprouse KR, Asiri AY, Al-Mozaini M, Memish ZA, Alshukairi A, Veesler D. Mapping immunodominant sites on the MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein targeted by infection-elicited antibodies in humans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.31.586409. [PMID: 38617298 PMCID: PMC11014493 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.31.586409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) first emerged in 2012 and causes human infections in endemic regions. Most vaccines and therapeutics in development against MERS-CoV focus on the spike (S) glycoprotein to prevent viral entry into target cells. These efforts, however, are limited by a poor understanding of antibody responses elicited by infection along with their durability, fine specificity and contribution of distinct S antigenic sites to neutralization. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed S-directed binding and neutralizing antibody titers in plasma collected from individuals infected with MERS-CoV in 2017-2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). We observed that binding and neutralizing antibodies peak 1 to 6 weeks after symptom onset/hospitalization, persist for at least 6 months, and broadly neutralize human and camel MERS-CoV strains. We show that the MERS-CoV S1 subunit is immunodominant and that antibodies targeting S1, particularly the RBD, account for most plasma neutralizing activity. Antigenic site mapping revealed that polyclonal plasma antibodies frequently target RBD epitopes, particularly a site exposed irrespective of the S trimer conformation, whereas targeting of S2 subunit epitopes is rare, similar to SARS-CoV-2. Our data reveal in unprecedented details the humoral immune responses elicited by MERS-CoV infection, which will guide vaccine and therapeutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Addetia
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Albert J Seo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kaitlin R Sprouse
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ayed Y Asiri
- Al-Hayat National Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maha Al-Mozaini
- Department of Infection and Immunity, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ziad A Memish
- King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Abeer Alshukairi
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Failayev H, Ganoth A, Tsfadia Y. Molecular insights on the coronavirus MERS-CoV interaction with the CD26 receptor. Virus Res 2024; 342:199330. [PMID: 38272241 PMCID: PMC10862065 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2024.199330] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a severe respiratory disease with high fatality rates, caused by the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The virus initiates infection by binding to the CD26 receptor (also known as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 or DPP4) via its spike protein. Although the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein and the complex between RBD and the extracellular domain of CD26 have been studied using X-ray crystallography, conflicting studies exist regarding the importance of certain amino acids outside the resolved RBD-CD26 complex interaction interface. To gain atomic-level knowledge of the RBD-CD26 complex, we employed computational simulations to study the complex's dynamic behavior as it evolves from its crystal structure to a conformation stable in solution. Our study revealed previously unidentified interaction regions and interacting amino acids within the complex, determined a novel comprehensive RBD-binding domain of CD26, and by that expanded the current understanding of its structure. Additionally, we examined the impact of a single amino acid substitution, E513A, on the complex's stability. We discovered that this substitution disrupts the complex through an allosteric domino-like mechanism that affects other residues. Since MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus, we evaluated its potential risk of human infection via animals, and suggest a low likelihood for possible infection by cats or dogs. The molecular structural information gleaned from our insights into the RBD-CD26 complex pre-dissociative states may be proved useful not only from a mechanistic view but also in assessing inter-species transmission and in developing anti-MERS-CoV antiviral therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hila Failayev
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Assaf Ganoth
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; The Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
| | - Yossi Tsfadia
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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Chao CW, Sprouse KR, Miranda MC, Catanzaro NJ, Hubbard ML, Addetia A, Stewart C, Brown JT, Dosey A, Valdez A, Ravichandran R, Hendricks GG, Ahlrichs M, Dobbins C, Hand A, Treichel C, Willoughby I, Walls AC, McGuire AT, Leaf EM, Baric RS, Schäfer A, Veesler D, King NP. Protein nanoparticle vaccines induce potent neutralizing antibody responses against MERS-CoV. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.13.584735. [PMID: 38558973 PMCID: PMC10979991 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.13.584735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic betacoronavirus that causes severe and often lethal respiratory illness in humans. The MERS-CoV spike (S) protein is the viral fusogen and the target of neutralizing antibodies, and has therefore been the focus of vaccine design efforts. Currently there are no licensed vaccines against MERS-CoV and only a few candidates have advanced to Phase I clinical trials. Here we developed MERS-CoV vaccines utilizing a computationally designed protein nanoparticle platform that has generated safe and immunogenic vaccines against various enveloped viruses, including a licensed vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. Two-component protein nanoparticles displaying MERS-CoV S-derived antigens induced robust neutralizing antibody responses and protected mice against challenge with mouse-adapted MERS-CoV. Electron microscopy polyclonal epitope mapping and serum competition assays revealed the specificities of the dominant antibody responses elicited by immunogens displaying the prefusion-stabilized S-2P trimer, receptor binding domain (RBD), or N-terminal domain (NTD). An RBD nanoparticle vaccine elicited antibodies targeting multiple non-overlapping epitopes in the RBD, whereas anti-NTD antibodies elicited by the S-2P- and NTD-based immunogens converged on a single antigenic site. Our findings demonstrate the potential of two-component nanoparticle vaccine candidates for MERS-CoV and suggest that this platform technology could be broadly applicable to betacoronavirus vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara W Chao
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kaitlin R Sprouse
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Marcos C Miranda
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nicholas J Catanzaro
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - Miranda L Hubbard
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - Amin Addetia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jack T Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Annie Dosey
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Adian Valdez
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Rashmi Ravichandran
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Grace G Hendricks
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Maggie Ahlrichs
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Craig Dobbins
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alexis Hand
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Catherine Treichel
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Isabelle Willoughby
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alexandra C Walls
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Andrew T McGuire
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Leaf
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ralph S Baric
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - Alexandra Schäfer
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Neil P King
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Xiong Q, Ma C, Liu C, Tong F, Huang M, Yan H. ACE2-using merbecoviruses: Further evidence of convergent evolution of ACE2 recognition by NeoCoV and other MERS-CoV related viruses. CELL INSIGHT 2024; 3:100145. [PMID: 38476250 PMCID: PMC10928290 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellin.2023.100145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was recognized as an entry receptor shared by coronaviruses from Sarbecovirus and Setracovirus subgenera, including three human coronaviruses: SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and NL63. We recently disclosed that NeoCoV and three other merbecoviruses (PDF-2180, MOW15-22, PnNL 2018B), which are MERS-CoV relatives found in African and European bats, also utilize ACE2 as their functional receptors through unique receptor binding mechanisms. This unexpected receptor usage assumes significance, particularly in light of the prior recognition of Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) as the only known protein receptor for merbecoviruses. In contrast to other ACE2-using coronaviruses, NeoCoV and PDF-2180 engage a distinct and relatively compact binding surface on ACE2, facilitated by protein-glycan interactions, which is demonstrated by the Cryo-EM structures of the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of these viruses in complex with a bat ACE2 orthologue. These findings further support the hypothesis that phylogenetically distant coronaviruses, characterized by distinct RBD structures, can independently evolve to acquire ACE2 affinity during inter-species transmission and adaptive evolution. To date, these viruses have exhibited limited efficiency in entering human cells, although single mutations like T510F in NeoCoV can overcome the incompatibility with human ACE2. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of ACE2-using merbecoviruses, summarize our current knowledge regarding receptor usage and host tropism determination, and deliberate on potential strategies for prevention and intervention, with the goal of mitigating potential future outbreaks caused by spillover of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Chengbao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Chen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Fei Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Meiling Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Huan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute for Vaccine Research and Modern Virology Research Center, College of Life Sciences, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
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