Controlling the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein conformation.

The coronavirus (CoV) spike (S) protein, involved in viral-host cell fusion, is the primary immunogenic target for virus neutralization and the current focus of many vaccine design efforts. The highly flexible S-protein, with its mobile domains, presents a moving target to the immune system. Here, to better understand S-protein mobility, ...
we implemented a structure-based vector analysis of available ?-CoV S-protein structures. Despite an overall similarity in domain organization, we found that S-proteins from different ?-CoVs display distinct configurations. Based on this analysis, we developed two soluble ectodomain constructs for the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein, in which the highly immunogenic and mobile receptor binding domain (RBD) is either locked in the all-RBDs 'down' position or adopts 'up' state conformations more readily than the wild-type S-protein. These results demonstrate that the conformation of the S-protein can be controlled via rational design and can provide a framework for the development of engineered CoV S-proteins for vaccine applications.
Mesh Terms:
Binding Sites, Cryoelectron Microscopy, Microscopy, Electron, Models, Molecular, Mutation, Protein Conformation, Protein Domains, Protein Subunits, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Nat Struct Mol Biol
Date: Oct. 01, 2020
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