SARS-CoV-2 spike binding to ACE2 is stronger and longer ranged due to glycan interaction.

Highly detailed steered molecular dynamics simulations are performed on differently glycosylated receptor binding domains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein. The binding strength and the binding range increase with glycosylation. The interaction energy rises very quickly when pulling the proteins apart and only slowly drops at larger ...
distances. We see a catch-slip-type behavior whereby interactions during pulling break and are taken over by new interactions forming. The dominant interaction mode is hydrogen bonds, but Lennard-Jones and electrostatic interactions are relevant as well.
Mesh Terms:
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, COVID-19, Humans, Molecular Dynamics Simulation, Polysaccharides, Protein Binding, SARS-CoV-2
Biophys J
Date: Jan. 04, 2022
Download Curated Data For This Publication
244106
Switch View:
  • Interactions 1