1
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Thakur B, Katte RH, Xu W, Janowska K, Sammour S, Henderson R, Lu M, Kwong PD, Acharya P. Conformational trajectory of the HIV-1 fusion peptide during CD4-induced envelope opening. Nat Commun 2025; 16:4595. [PMID: 40382314 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59721-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2025] [Indexed: 05/20/2025] Open
Abstract
The hydrophobic fusion peptide (FP), a critical component of the HIV-1 entry machinery, is located at the N terminus of the envelope (Env) gp41 subunit. The receptor-binding gp120 subunit of Env forms a heterodimer with gp41. The gp120/gp41 heterodimer assembles into a homotrimer, in which FP is accessible for antibody binding. Env conformational changes or "opening" that follow receptor binding result in FP relocating to a newly formed interprotomer pocket at the gp41-gp120 interface where it is sterically inaccessible to antibodies. The mechanistic steps connecting the entry-related transition of antibody accessible-to-inaccessible FP configurations remain unresolved. Here, using SOSIP-stabilized Env ectodomains, we visualize that the FP remains accessible for antibody binding despite substantial receptor-induced Env opening. We delineate stepwise Env opening from its closed state to a functional CD4-bound symmetrically open Env in which we show that FP was accessible for antibody binding. We define downstream re-organizations that lead to the formation of a gp120/gp41 cavity into which the FP buries to become inaccessible for antibody binding. These findings improve our understanding of HIV-1 entry and delineate the entry-related conformational trajectory of a key site of HIV vulnerability to neutralizing antibody.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhishem Thakur
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Revansiddha H Katte
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, Tyler, Texas, USA
| | - Wang Xu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, Tyler, Texas, USA
| | | | - Salam Sammour
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rory Henderson
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Maolin Lu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, Tyler, Texas, USA
| | - Peter D Kwong
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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2
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Schendel SL, Yu X, Halfmann PJ, Mahita J, Ha B, Hastie KM, Li H, Bedinger D, Troup C, Li K, Kuzmina N, Torrelles JB, Munt JE, Maddocks M, Osei-Twum M, Callaway HM, Reece S, Palser A, Kellam P, Dennison SM, Huntwork RHC, Horn GQ, Abraha M, Feeney E, Martinez-Sobrido L, Pino PA, Hicks A, Ye C, Park JG, Maingot B, Periasamy S, Mallory M, Scobey T, Lepage MN, St-Amant N, Khan S, Gambiez A, Baric RS, Bukreyev A, Gagnon L, Germann T, Kawaoka Y, Tomaras GD, Peters B, Saphire EO. A global collaboration for systematic analysis of broad-ranging antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Cell Rep 2025; 44:115499. [PMID: 40184253 PMCID: PMC12014896 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115499] [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: 09/30/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2025] [Accepted: 03/11/2025] [Indexed: 04/06/2025] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus Immunotherapeutic Consortium (CoVIC) conducted side-by-side comparisons of over 400 anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike therapeutic antibody candidates contributed by large and small companies as well as academic groups on multiple continents. Nine reference labs analyzed antibody features, including in vivo protection in a mouse model of infection, spike protein affinity, high-resolution epitope binning, ACE-2 binding blockage, structures, and neutralization of pseudovirus and authentic virus infection, to build a publicly accessible dataset in the database CoVIC-DB. High-throughput, high-resolution binning of CoVIC antibodies defines a broad and predictive landscape of antibody epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and identifies features associated with durable potency against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and high in vivo efficacy. Results of the CoVIC studies provide a guide for selecting effective and durable antibody therapeutics and for immunogen design as well as providing a framework for rapid response to future viral disease outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Schendel
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Xiaoying Yu
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Peter J Halfmann
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Jarjapu Mahita
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Brendan Ha
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kathryn M Hastie
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Haoyang Li
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | | | - Kan Li
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Natalia Kuzmina
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Jordi B Torrelles
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA; Population Health Program, International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I-CARE), Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Jennifer E Munt
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | - Melissa Maddocks
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | - Mary Osei-Twum
- Nexelis, a Q2 Solutions Company, 525 Boulevard Cartier Ouest, Laval, QC H7V 3S8, Canada
| | - Heather M Callaway
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Stephen Reece
- Kymab, a Sanofi Company, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | | | - Paul Kellam
- RQ Biotechnology Ltd., London W12 7RZ, UK; Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - S Moses Dennison
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Richard H C Huntwork
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Gillian Q Horn
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Milite Abraha
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Elizabeth Feeney
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Luis Martinez-Sobrido
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA; Population Health Program, International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I-CARE), Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Paula A Pino
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Amberlee Hicks
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Chengjin Ye
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA; Population Health Program, International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I-CARE), Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Jun-Gyu Park
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Billie Maingot
- Disease Intervention and Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
| | - Sivakumar Periasamy
- Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Michael Mallory
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | - Trevor Scobey
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | - Marie-Noelle Lepage
- Nexelis, a Q2 Solutions Company, 525 Boulevard Cartier Ouest, Laval, QC H7V 3S8, Canada
| | - Natalie St-Amant
- Nexelis, a Q2 Solutions Company, 525 Boulevard Cartier Ouest, Laval, QC H7V 3S8, Canada
| | - Sarwat Khan
- Nexelis, a Q2 Solutions Company, 525 Boulevard Cartier Ouest, Laval, QC H7V 3S8, Canada
| | - Anaïs Gambiez
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ralph S Baric
- Population Health Program, International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I-CARE), Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Alexander Bukreyev
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Luc Gagnon
- Nexelis, a Q2 Solutions Company, 525 Boulevard Cartier Ouest, Laval, QC H7V 3S8, Canada
| | | | - Yoshihiro Kawaoka
- Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan; Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA), University of Tokyo, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Georgia D Tomaras
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Departments of Surgery and Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Bjoern Peters
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| | - Erica Ollmann Saphire
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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3
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Tang C, Lupala CS, Wang D, Li X, Tang LH, Li X. Structural and Energetic Insights into SARS-CoV-2 Evolution: Analysis of hACE2-RBD Binding in Wild-Type, Delta, and Omicron Subvariants. Int J Mol Sci 2025; 26:3776. [PMID: 40332432 PMCID: PMC12027596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms26083776] [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: 02/21/2025] [Revised: 04/02/2025] [Accepted: 04/03/2025] [Indexed: 05/08/2025] Open
Abstract
The evolution of SARS-CoV-2, particularly the emergence of Omicron variants, has raised questions regarding changes in its binding affinity to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (hACE2). Understanding the impact of mutations on the interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and hACE2 is critical for evaluating viral transmissibility, immune evasion, and the efficacy of therapeutic strategies. Here, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding energy calculations to investigate the structural and energetic differences between the hACE2- RBD complexes of wild-type (WT), Delta, and Omicron subvariants. Our results indicate that the Delta and the first Omicron variants showed the highest and the second-highest binding energy among the variants studied. Furthermore, while Omicron variants exhibit increased structural stability and altered electrostatic potential at the hACE2-RBD interface when compared to the ancestral WT, their binding strength to hACE2 does not consistently increase with viral evolution. Moreover, newer Omicron subvariants like JN.1 exhibit a bimodal conformational strategy, alternating between a high-affinity state for hACE2 and a low-affinity state, which could potentially facilitate immune evasion. These findings suggest that, in addition to enhanced hACE2 binding affinity, other factors, such as immune evasion and structural adaptability, shape SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China;
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Cecylia S. Lupala
- State Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China;
| | - Ding Wang
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China;
| | - Xiangcheng Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China;
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Lei-Han Tang
- Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China;
| | - Xuefei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China;
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4
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Alshahrani M, Parikh V, Foley B, Verkhivker G. Exploring Diverse Binding Mechanisms of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies S309, S304, CYFN-1006 and VIR-7229 Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Spike Omicron Variants: Integrative Computational Modeling Reveals Balance of Evolutionary and Dynamic Adaptability in Shaping Molecular Determinants of Immune Escape. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.04.15.649027. [PMID: 40376091 PMCID: PMC12080943 DOI: 10.1101/2025.04.15.649027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2025]
Abstract
Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has led to the emergence of variants with increased immune evasion capabilities, posing significant challenges to antibody-based therapeutics and vaccines. The cross-neutralization activity of antibodies against Omicron variants is governed by a complex and delicate interplay of multiple energetic factors and interaction contributions. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and four neutralizing antibodies S309, S304, CYFN1006, and VIR-7229. Using integrative computational modeling that combined all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, mutational scanning, and MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations, we elucidated the structural, energetic, and dynamic determinants of antibody binding. Our findings reveal distinct dynamic binding mechanisms and evolutionary adaptation driving broad neutralization effect of these antibodies. We show that S309 targets conserved residues near the ACE2 interface, leveraging synergistic van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, while S304 focuses on fewer but sensitive residues, making it more susceptible to escape mutations. The analysis of CYFN-1006.1 and CYFN-1006.2 antibody binding highlights broad epitope coverage with critical anchors at T345, K440, and T346, enhancing its efficacy against variants carrying the K356T mutation which caused escape from S309 binding. Our analysis of broadly potent VIR-7229 antibody binding to XBB.1.5 and EG.5 Omicron variants emphasized a large and structurally complex epitope, demonstrating certain adaptability and compensatory effects to F456L and L455S mutations. Mutational profiling identified key residues crucial for antibody binding, including T345, P337, and R346 for S309, and T385 and K386 for S304, underscoring their roles as evolutionary "weak spots" that balance viral fitness and immune evasion. The results of this energetic analysis demonstrate a good agreement between the predicted binding hotspots and critical mutations with respect to the latest experiments on average antibody escape scores. The results of this study dissect distinct energetic mechanisms of binding and importance of targeting conserved residues and diverse epitopes to counteract viral resistance. Broad-spectrum antibodies CYFN1006 and VIR-7229 maintain efficacy across multiple variants and achieve neutralization by targeting convergent evolution hotspots while enabling tolerance to mutations in these positions through structural adaptability and compensatory interactions at the binding interface. The results of this study underscore the diversity of binding mechanisms employed by different antibodies and molecular basis for high affinity and excellent neutralization activity of the latest generation of antibodies.
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5
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Dadonaite B, Burrell AR, Logue J, Chu HY, Payne DC, Haslam DB, Staat MA, Bloom JD. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody specificities differ dramatically between recently infected infants and immune-imprinted individuals. J Virol 2025; 99:e0010925. [PMID: 40130874 PMCID: PMC11998527 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00109-25] [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: 01/17/2025] [Accepted: 02/25/2025] [Indexed: 03/26/2025] Open
Abstract
The immune response to viral infection is shaped by past exposures to related virus strains, a phenomenon known as imprinting. For severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), much of the population has been imprinted by a viral spike from an early strain, either through vaccination or infection during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of this imprinting, infection with more recent SARS-CoV-2 strains primarily boosts cross-reactive antibodies elicited by the imprinting strain. Here we compare the neutralizing antibody specificities of imprinted individuals versus infants infected with a recent strain. Specifically, we use pseudovirus-based deep mutational scanning to measure how spike mutations affect neutralization by the serum antibodies of adults and children imprinted by the original vaccine versus infants with a primary infection by an XBB* variant. While the serum neutralizing activity of the imprinted individuals primarily targets the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), the serum neutralizing activity of infants infected with only XBB* mostly targets the spike N-terminal domain. In these infants, secondary exposure to the XBB* spike via vaccination shifts more of the neutralizing activity toward the RBD, although the specific RBD sites targeted are different from imprinted adults. The dramatic differences in neutralization specificities among individuals with different exposure histories likely impact SARS-CoV-2 evolution.IMPORTANCEWe show that a person's exposure history to different SARS-CoV-2 strains strongly affects which regions on the viral spike that their neutralizing antibodies target. In particular, infants who have just been infected once with a recent viral strain make neutralizing antibodies that target different regions of the viral spike than adults or children who have been exposed to both older and more recent strains. This person-to-person heterogeneity means that the same viral mutation can have different impacts on the antibody immunity of different people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadeta Dadonaite
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Allison R. Burrell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jenni Logue
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Helen Y. Chu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Daniel C. Payne
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - David B. Haslam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mary A. Staat
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jesse D. Bloom
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
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6
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Lauster D, Haag R, Ballauff M, Herrmann A. Balancing stability and function: impact of the surface charge of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike protein. NPJ VIRUSES 2025; 3:23. [PMID: 40295844 PMCID: PMC11962157 DOI: 10.1038/s44298-025-00104-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2025] [Indexed: 04/30/2025]
Abstract
The ectodomain of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 spike has an increased positive surface charge, favoring binding to the host cell surface, but may affect the stability of the ectodomain. Thermal stability studies identified two transitions associated with the flexibility of the receptor binding domain and the unfolding of the whole ectodomain, respectively. Despite destabilizing effects of some mutations, compensatory mutations maintain ECD stability and functional advantages thus supporting viral fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Lauster
- Institute of Pharmacy, Biopharmaceuticals, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Rainer Haag
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Ballauff
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Herrmann
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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7
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Chen Q, He H, Zhu Y, Li X, Fang J, Li Z, Liu P, Zhou L, Pan Y, Wu G. Identification of Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L.) Merr as a Novel Potential Therapeutic Agent Against COVID-19 and Pharyngitis. Molecules 2025; 30:1055. [PMID: 40076279 PMCID: PMC11901475 DOI: 10.3390/molecules30051055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2025] [Revised: 02/18/2025] [Accepted: 02/20/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Individuals infected with COVID-19 often experience the distressing discomfort of pharyngitis. Thus, it is crucial to develop novel drugs to improve therapeutic options. In this study, we investigated the interaction between bioactive compounds isolated from Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L.) Merr and proteins associated with COVID-19 and pharyngitis through in silico analysis. Several molecules demonstrated high affinities to multiple targets, indicating significant potential for alleviating pharyngitis and other COVID-19-related symptoms. Among them, rutin and isochlorogenic acid C, two major components in Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L.) Merr ethanol extracts, were further experimentally demonstrated to exhibit strong inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-2 and to possess significant anti-inflammatory activities. Inhibition of over 50% in several key genes was observed, demonstrating the efficacy of in silico methods in identifying high-affinity target binders. Our findings provide a theoretical foundation for the development of Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L.) Merr as a novel multi-target therapeutic agent for both COVID-19 and pharyngitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hui He
- School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yanghong Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Junhao Fang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhexi Li
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Panghui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Preparations, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yufang Pan
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Preparations, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guoyu Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Preparations, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Center for Drug Research and Development, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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8
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Alshahrani M, Parikh V, Foley B, Raisinghani N, Verkhivker G. Mutational Scanning and Binding Free Energy Computations of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Complexes with Distinct Groups of Neutralizing Antibodies: Energetic Drivers of Convergent Evolution of Binding Affinity and Immune Escape Hotspots. Int J Mol Sci 2025; 26:1507. [PMID: 40003970 PMCID: PMC11855367 DOI: 10.3390/ijms26041507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2025] [Revised: 02/10/2025] [Accepted: 02/10/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025] Open
Abstract
The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has led to the emergence of variants with increased immune evasion capabilities, posing significant challenges to antibody-based therapeutics and vaccines. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive structural and energetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) complexes with neutralizing antibodies from four distinct groups (A-D), including group A LY-CoV016, group B AZD8895 and REGN10933, group C LY-CoV555, and group D antibodies AZD1061, REGN10987, and LY-CoV1404. Using coarse-grained simplified simulation models, rapid energy-based mutational scanning, and rigorous MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms of antibody binding and escape mechanisms, identified key binding hotspots, and explored the evolutionary strategies employed by the virus to evade neutralization. The residue-based decomposition analysis revealed energetic mechanisms and thermodynamic factors underlying the effect of mutations on antibody binding. The results demonstrate excellent qualitative agreement between the predicted binding hotspots and the latest experiments on antibody escape. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular determinants of antibody binding and viral escape, highlighting the importance of targeting conserved epitopes and leveraging combination therapies to mitigate the risk of immune evasion.
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MESH Headings
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/chemistry
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/metabolism
- SARS-CoV-2/immunology
- SARS-CoV-2/genetics
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/chemistry
- Antibodies, Viral/metabolism
- Humans
- Immune Evasion
- Thermodynamics
- Mutation
- COVID-19/virology
- COVID-19/immunology
- Protein Binding
- Molecular Dynamics Simulation
- Evolution, Molecular
- Binding Sites
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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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Vedant Parikh
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Brandon Foley
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Nishank Raisinghani
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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9
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Alshahrani M, Parikh V, Foley B, Raisinghani N, Verkhivker G. Quantitative Characterization and Prediction of the Binding Determinants and Immune Escape Hotspots for Groups of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Against Omicron Variants: Atomistic Modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Complexes with Antibodies. Biomolecules 2025; 15:249. [PMID: 40001552 PMCID: PMC11853647 DOI: 10.3390/biom15020249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2024] [Revised: 02/04/2025] [Accepted: 02/05/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025] Open
Abstract
A growing body of experimental and computational studies suggests that the cross-neutralization antibody activity against Omicron variants may be driven by the balance and tradeoff between multiple energetic factors and interaction contributions of the evolving escape hotspots involved in antigenic drift and convergent evolution. However, the dynamic and energetic details quantifying the balance and contribution of these factors, particularly the balancing nature of specific interactions formed by antibodies with epitope residues, remain largely uncharacterized. In this study, we performed molecular dynamics simulations, an ensemble-based deep mutational scanning of SARS-CoV-2 spike residues, and binding free energy computations for two distinct groups of broadly neutralizing antibodies: the E1 group (BD55-3152, BD55-3546, and BD5-5840) and the F3 group (BD55-3372, BD55-4637, and BD55-5514). Using these approaches, we examined the energetic determinants by which broadly potent antibodies can largely evade immune resistance. Our analysis revealed the emergence of a small number of immune escape positions for E1 group antibodies that correspond to the R346 and K444 positions in which the strong van der Waals and interactions act synchronously, leading to the large binding contribution. According to our results, the E1 and F3 groups of Abs effectively exploit binding hotspot clusters of hydrophobic sites that are critical for spike functions along with the selective complementary targeting of positively charged sites that are important for ACE2 binding. Together with targeting conserved epitopes, these groups of antibodies can lead expand the breadth and resilience of neutralization to the antigenic shifts associated with viral evolution. The results of this study and the energetic analysis demonstrate excellent qualitative agreement between the predicted binding hotspots and critical mutations with respect to the latest experiments on average antibody escape scores. We argue that the E1 and F3 groups of antibodies targeting binding epitopes may leverage strong hydrophobic interactions with the binding epitope hotspots that are critical for the spike stability and ACE2 binding, while escape mutations tend to emerge in sites associated with synergistically strong hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.
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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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Vedant Parikh
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Brandon Foley
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
| | - Nishank Raisinghani
- 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - 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.); (V.P.); (B.F.); (N.R.)
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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10
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Dadonaite B, Burrell AR, Logue J, Chu HY, Payne DC, Haslam DB, Staat MA, Bloom JD. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody specificities differ dramatically between recently infected infants and immune-imprinted individuals. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.01.17.633612. [PMID: 39896663 PMCID: PMC11785066 DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.17.633612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2025]
Abstract
The immune response to viral infection is shaped by past exposures to related virus strains, a phenomenon known as imprinting. For SARS-CoV-2, much of the population has been imprinted by a viral spike from an early strain, either through vaccination or infection during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of this imprinting, infection with more recent SARS-CoV-2 strains primarily boosts cross-reactive antibodies elicited by the imprinting strain. Here we compare the neutralizing antibody specificities of imprinted individuals versus infants infected with a recent strain. Specifically, we use pseudovirus-based deep mutational scanning to measure how spike mutations affect neutralization by the serum antibodies of adults and children imprinted by the original vaccine versus infants with a primary infection by a XBB* variant. While the serum neutralizing activity of the imprinted individuals primarily targets the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), serum neutralizing activity of infants only infected with XBB* mostly targets the spike N-terminal domain (NTD). In these infants, secondary exposure to the XBB* spike via vaccination shifts more of the neutralizing activity towards the RBD, although the specific RBD sites targeted are different than for imprinted adults. The dramatic differences in neutralization specificities among individuals with different exposure histories likely impact SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadeta Dadonaite
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, 98109, USA
| | - Allison R. Burrell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Jenni Logue
- University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Seattle, WA
| | - Helen Y. Chu
- University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Seattle, WA
| | - Daniel C. Payne
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - David B. Haslam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Mary A. Staat
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Jesse D. Bloom
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, 98109, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
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11
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Harris C, Kapingidza AB, San JE, Christopher J, Gavitt T, Rhodes B, Janowska K, O'Donnell C, Lindenberger J, Huang X, Sammour S, Berry M, Barr M, Parks R, Newman A, Overton M, Oguin T, Acharya P, Haynes BF, Saunders KO, Wiehe K, Azoitei ML. Design of SARS-CoV-2 RBD Immunogens to Focus Immune Responses Towards Conserved Coronavirus Epitopes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.01.09.632180. [PMID: 39829739 PMCID: PMC11741430 DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.09.632180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2025]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, with new variants emerging that evade pre-existing immunity and limit the efficacy of existing vaccines. One approach towards developing superior, variant-proof vaccines is to engineer immunogens that preferentially elicit antibodies with broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants by targeting conserved epitopes on spike. The inner and outer faces of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) are two such conserved regions targeted by antibodies that recognize diverse human and animal coronaviruses. To promote the elicitation of such antibodies by vaccination, we engineered "resurfaced" RBD immunogens that contained mutations at exposed RBD residues outside the target epitopes. In the context of pre-existing immunity, these vaccine candidates aim to disfavor the elicitation of strain-specific antibodies against the immunodominant Receptor Binding Motif (RBM) while boosting the induction of inner and outer face antibodies. The engineered resurfaced RBD immunogens were stable, lacked binding to monoclonal antibodies with limited breadth, and maintained strong interactions with target broadly neutralizing antibodies. When used as vaccines, they limited humoral responses against the RBM as intended. Multimerization on nanoparticles further increased the immunogenicity of the resurfaced RBDs immunogens, thus supporting resurfacing as a promising immunogen design approach to rationally shift natural immune responses to develop more protective vaccines.
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12
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Furnon W, Cowton VM, De Lorenzo G, Orton R, Herder V, Cantoni D, Ilia G, Mendonca DC, Kerr K, Allan J, Upfold N, Meehan GR, Bakshi S, Das UR, Molina Arias S, McElwee M, Little S, Logan N, Kwok K, Smollett K, Willett BJ, Da Silva Filipe A, Robertson DL, Grove J, Patel AH, Palmarini M. Phenotypic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Microbiol 2025; 10:77-93. [PMID: 39753670 PMCID: PMC11726466 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01878-5] [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: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 11/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2025]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants are mainly defined by mutations in their spike. It is therefore critical to understand how the evolutionary trajectories of spike affect virus phenotypes. So far, it has been challenging to comprehensively compare the many spikes that emerged during the pandemic in a single experimental platform. Here we generated a panel of recombinant viruses carrying different spike proteins from 27 variants circulating between 2020 and 2024 in the same genomic background. We then assessed several of their phenotypic traits both in vitro and in vivo. We found distinct phenotypic trajectories of spike among and between variants circulating before and after the emergence of Omicron variants. Spike of post-Omicron variants maintained enhanced tropism for the nasal epithelium and large airways but displayed, over time, several phenotypic traits typical of the pre-Omicron variants. Hence, spike with phenotypic features of both pre- and post-Omicron variants may continue to emerge in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilhelm Furnon
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Vanessa M Cowton
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Richard Orton
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Vanessa Herder
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Diego Cantoni
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Georgios Ilia
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Diogo Correa Mendonca
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Karen Kerr
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jay Allan
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Nicole Upfold
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Gavin R Meehan
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Siddharth Bakshi
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Udeet Ranjan Das
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sergi Molina Arias
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Marion McElwee
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sarah Little
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Nicola Logan
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kirsty Kwok
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Brian J Willett
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | | | | | - Joe Grove
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Arvind H Patel
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Massimo Palmarini
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
- CVR-CRUSH, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
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13
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Yuan M, Wilson IA. Structural Immunology of SARS-CoV-2. Immunol Rev 2025; 329:e13431. [PMID: 39731211 PMCID: PMC11727448 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13431] [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: 11/07/2024] [Accepted: 12/10/2024] [Indexed: 12/29/2024]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein has undergone significant evolution, enhancing both receptor binding and immune evasion. In this review, we summarize ongoing efforts to develop antibodies targeting various epitopes of the S protein, focusing on their neutralization potency, breadth, and escape mechanisms. Antibodies targeting the receptor-binding site (RBS) typically exhibit high neutralizing potency but are frequently evaded by mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants. In contrast, antibodies targeting conserved regions, such as the S2 stem helix and fusion peptide, exhibit broader reactivity but generally lower neutralization potency. However, several broadly neutralizing antibodies have demonstrated exceptional efficacy against emerging variants, including the latest omicron subvariants, underscoring the potential of targeting vulnerable sites such as RBS-A and RBS-D/CR3022. We also highlight public classes of antibodies targeting different sites on the S protein. The vulnerable sites targeted by public antibodies present opportunities for germline-targeting vaccine strategies. Overall, developing escape-resistant, potent antibodies and broadly effective vaccines remains crucial for combating future variants. This review emphasizes the importance of identifying key epitopes and utilizing antibody affinity maturation to inform future therapeutic and vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yuan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational BiologyThe Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ian A. Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational BiologyThe Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical BiologyThe Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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14
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Parsons Leigh J, FitzGerald EA, Moss SJ, Cherak MS, Brundin-Mather R, Dodds A, Stelfox HT, Dubé È, Fiest KM, Halperin DM, Ahmed SB, MacDonald SE, Straus SE, Manca T, Ng Kamstra J, Soo A, Longmore S, Kupsch S, Sept B, Halperin SA. The evolution of vaccine hesitancy through the COVID-19 pandemic: A semi-structured interview study on booster and bivalent doses. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2316417. [PMID: 38390696 PMCID: PMC10896168 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2316417] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
We sought in-depth understanding on the evolution of factors influencing COVID-19 booster dose and bivalent vaccine hesitancy in a longitudinal semi-structured interview-based qualitative study. Serial interviews were conducted between July 25th and September 1st, 2022 (Phase I: univalent booster dose availability), and between November 21st, 2022 and January 11th, 2023 (Phase II: bivalent vaccine availability). Adults (≥18 years) in Canada who had received an initial primary series and had not received a COVID-19 booster dose were eligible for Phase I, and subsequently invited to participate in Phase II. Twenty-two of twenty-three (96%) participants completed interviews for both phases (45 interviews). Nearly half of participants identified as a woman (n = 11), the median age was 37 years (interquartile range: 32-48), and most participants were employed full-time (n = 12); no participant reported needing to vaccinate (with a primary series) for their workplace. No participant reported having received a COVID-19 booster dose at the time of their interview in Phase II. Three themes relating to the development of hesitancy toward continued vaccination against COVID-19 were identified: 1) effectiveness (frequency concerns; infection despite vaccination); 2) necessity (less threatening, low urgency, alternate protective measures); and 3) information (need for data, contradiction and confusion, lack of trust, decreased motivation). The data from interviews with individuals who had not received a COVID-19 booster dose or bivalent vaccine despite having received a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines highlights actionable targets to address vaccine hesitancy and improve public health literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanna Parsons Leigh
- Faculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology & IWK Health Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Emily A. FitzGerald
- Faculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Stephana Julia Moss
- Faculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- CRISMA Center, Department of Critical Care, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Michal S. Cherak
- Faculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology & IWK Health Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Alexandra Dodds
- Faculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Henry T. Stelfox
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ève Dubé
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
- Département d’anthropologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Kirsten M. Fiest
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- O’Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry & Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Donna M. Halperin
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology & IWK Health Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Rankin School of Nursing, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Sofia B. Ahmed
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Shannon E. MacDonald
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sharon E. Straus
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Terra Manca
- Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
- Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Josh Ng Kamstra
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Soo
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Shelly Longmore
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Shelly Kupsch
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bonnie Sept
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Scott A. Halperin
- Canadian Center for Vaccinology & IWK Health Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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15
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Lyukmanova EN, Pichkur EB, Nolde DE, Kocharovskaya MV, Manuvera VA, Shirokov DA, Kharlampieva DD, Grafskaia EN, Svetlova JI, Lazarev VN, Varizhuk AM, Kirpichnikov MP, Shenkarev ZO. Structure and dynamics of the interaction of Delta and Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants with REGN10987 Fab reveal mechanism of antibody action. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1698. [PMID: 39719448 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-07422-9] [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: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2024] [Indexed: 12/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Study of mechanisms by which antibodies recognize different viral strains is necessary for the development of new drugs and vaccines to treat COVID-19 and other infections. Here, we report 2.5 Å cryo-EM structure of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta trimeric S-protein in complex with Fab of the recombinant analog of REGN10987 neutralizing antibody. S-protein adopts "two RBD-down and one RBD-up" conformation. Fab interacts with RBDs in both conformations, blocking the recognition of angiotensin converting enzyme-2. Three-dimensional variability analysis reveals high mobility of the RBD/Fab regions. Interaction of REGN10987 with Wuhan, Delta, Omicron BA.1, and mutated variants of RBDs is analyzed by microscale thermophoresis, molecular dynamics simulations, and ΔG calculations with umbrella sampling and one-dimensional potential of mean force. Variability in molecular dynamics trajectories results in a large scatter of calculated ΔG values, but Boltzmann weighting provides an acceptable correlation with experiment. REGN10987 evasion of the Omicron variant is found to be due to the additive effect of the N440K and G446S mutations located at the RBD/Fab binding interface with a small effect of Q498R mutation. Our study explains the influence of known-to-date SARS-CoV-2 RBD mutations on REGN10987 recognition and highlights the importance of dynamics data beyond the static structure of the RBD/Fab complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina N Lyukmanova
- Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen, China.
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
- Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School of Moscow University "Molecular Technologies of the Living Systems and Synthetic Biology", Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Evgeny B Pichkur
- Department of Molecular and Radiation Biophysics, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P.Konstantinov of National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
| | - Dmitry E Nolde
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Milita V Kocharovskaya
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valentin A Manuvera
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitriy A Shirokov
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Daria D Kharlampieva
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina N Grafskaia
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Julia I Svetlova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vassili N Lazarev
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna M Varizhuk
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail P Kirpichnikov
- Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen, China
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School of Moscow University "Molecular Technologies of the Living Systems and Synthetic Biology", Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Zakhar O Shenkarev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
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16
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Alshahrani M, Parikh V, Foley B, Raisinghani N, Verkhivker G. Quantitative Characterization and Prediction of the Binding Determinants and Immune Escape Hotspots for Groups of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Against Omicron Variants: Atomistic Modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Complexes with Antibodies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.12.19.629520. [PMID: 39763975 PMCID: PMC11702672 DOI: 10.1101/2024.12.19.629520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2025]
Abstract
The growing body of experimental and computational studies suggested that the cross-neutralization antibody activity against Omicron variants may be driven by balance and tradeoff of multiple energetic factors and interaction contributions of the evolving escape hotspots involved in antigenic drift and convergent evolution. However, the dynamic and energetic details quantifying the balance and contribution of these factors, particularly the balancing nature of specific interactions formed by antibodies with the epitope residues remain scarcely characterized. In this study, we performed molecular dynamics simulations, ensemble-based deep mutational scanning of SARS-CoV-2 spike residues and binding free energy computations for two distinct groups of broadly neutralizing antibodies : E1 group (BD55-3152, BD55-3546 and BD5-5840) and F3 group (BD55-3372, BD55-4637 and BD55-5514). Using these approaches, we examine the energetic determinants by which broadly potent antibodies can largely evade immune resistance. Our analysis revealed the emergence of a small number of immune escape positions for E1 group antibodies that correspond to R346 and K444 positions in which the strong van der Waals and interactions act synchronously leading to the large binding contribution. According to our results, E1 and F3 groups of Abs effectively exploit binding hotspot clusters of hydrophobic sites critical for spike functions along with selective complementary targeting of positively charged sites that are important for ACE2 binding. Together with targeting conserved epitopes, these groups of antibodies can lead to the expanded neutralization breadth and resilience to antigenic shift associated with viral evolution. The results of this study and the energetic analysis demonstrate excellent qualitative agreement between the predicted binding hotspots and critical mutations with respect to the latest experiments on average antibody escape scores. We argue that E1 and F3 groups of antibodies targeting binding epitopes may leverage strong hydrophobic interactions with the binding epitope hotspots critical for the spike stability and ACE2 binding, while escape mutations tend to emerge in sites associated with synergistically strong hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.
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17
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Tang X, Chen J, Zhang L, Liu T, Ding M, Zheng YW, Zhang Y. Interfacial subregions of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD to hACE2 affect intermolecular affinity by their distinct roles played in association and dissociation kinetics. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1621. [PMID: 39638851 PMCID: PMC11621773 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-07081-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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2024] [Indexed: 12/07/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2's rapid global transmission depends on spike RBD's strong affinity to hACE2. In the context of binding hot spots well defined, the work investigated how interfacial subregions of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD to hACE2 affect intermolecular affinity and their potential distinct roles involved in association and dissociation kinetics due to their local structural characteristics. Three spatially consecutive subregions of SARS-CoV-2 RBD were structurally partitioned across RBD's receptor binding motif (RBM). Their impacts on binding affinity and kinetics were differentiated through a comprehensive SPR measurement of hACE2 binding by chimeric swap mutants of respective subdomains from SARS-CoV-2 VOCs & phylogenetically close sarbecoviruses, and further compared with those of included single mutations across RBM and around the RBD core. The data supports that the intermediate interfacial subregion of RBD involving key residue at 417 is the rate-limiting effector of association kinetics and the subregion encompassing residues at 501/498/449 is the key binding energy contributor dictating dissociation kinetics, both of which relate to SARS-CoV-2's adaptive mutational evolution and host tropism closely. The kinetic data and structural analysis of local mutations' impact on spike RBD's binding and thermal stability provide a new perspective in evaluating SARS-CoV-2 evolution and other sarbecoviruses' evolvable binding to hACE2. The inherent binding mode offers direct clues of valid epitope in designing new antibodies that the coronavirus can't elude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangwu Tang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
| | - Jingxian Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Min Ding
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
- Institute of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
- Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yun-Wen Zheng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
- Institute of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China
- Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Medical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yinghui Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, Guangdong, China.
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18
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Qing E, Salgado J, Wilcox A, Gallagher T. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variations reveal mechanisms controlling cell entry dynamics and antibody neutralization. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012757. [PMID: 39621785 PMCID: PMC11637440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012757] [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: 08/12/2024] [Revised: 12/12/2024] [Accepted: 11/17/2024] [Indexed: 12/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is adapting to continuous presence in humans. Transitions to endemic infection patterns are associated with changes in the spike (S) proteins that direct virus-cell entry. These changes generate antigenic drift and thereby allow virus maintenance in the face of prevalent human antiviral antibodies. These changes also fine tune virus-cell entry dynamics in ways that optimize transmission and infection into human cells. Focusing on the latter aspect, we evaluated the effects of several S protein substitutions on virus-cell membrane fusion, an essential final step in enveloped virus-cell entry. Membrane fusion is executed by integral-membrane "S2" domains, yet we found that substitutions in peripheral "S1" domains altered late-stage fusion dynamics, consistent with S1-S2 heterodimers cooperating throughout cell entry. A specific H655Y change in S1 stabilized a fusion-intermediate S protein conformation and thereby delayed membrane fusion. The H655Y change also sensitized viruses to neutralization by S2-targeting fusion-inhibitory peptides and stem-helix antibodies. The antibodies did not interfere with early fusion-activating steps; rather they targeted the latest stages of S2-directed membrane fusion in a novel neutralization mechanism. These findings demonstrate that single amino acid substitutions in the S proteins both reset viral entry-fusion kinetics and increase sensitivity to antibody neutralization. The results exemplify how selective forces driving SARS-CoV-2 fitness and antibody evasion operate together to shape SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enya Qing
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Julisa Salgado
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alexandria Wilcox
- McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Tom Gallagher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, United States of America
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19
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Dey S, Pahari P, Mukherjee S, Munro JB, Das DK. Conformational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike trimers during fusion activation at single molecule resolution. Structure 2024; 32:1910-1925.e6. [PMID: 39366371 PMCID: PMC11560620 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.09.008] [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: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 10/06/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron entry involves spike (S) glycoprotein-mediated fusion of viral and late endosomal membranes. Here, using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (sm-FRET) imaging and biochemical measurements, we directly visualized conformational changes of individual spike trimers on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pseudovirions during fusion activation. We observed that the S2 domain of the Omicron spike is a dynamic fusion machine. S2 reversibly interchanges between the pre-fusion conformation and two previously undescribed intermediate conformations. Acidic pH shifts the conformational equilibrium of S2 toward an intermediate conformation and promotes the membrane hemi-fusion reaction. Moreover, we captured conformational reversibility in the S2 domain, which suggests that spike can protect itself from pre-triggering. Furthermore, we determined that Ca2+ directly promotes the S2 conformational change from an intermediate conformation to post-fusion conformation. In the presence of a target membrane, low pH and Ca2+ stimulate the irreversible transition to S2 post-fusion state and promote membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuvankar Dey
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Purba Pahari
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Srija Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - James B Munro
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Dibyendu Kumar Das
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India; Center for Engineering in Medicine, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India.
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20
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Yajima H, Nomai T, Okumura K, Maenaka K, The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium MatsunoKeita1NaoNaganori1SawaHirofumi1MizumaKeita1LiJingshu1KidaIzumi1MimuraYume1OhariYuma1TanakaShinya1TsudaMasumi1WangLei1OdaYoshikata1FerdousZannatul1ShishidoKenji1MohriHiromi1IidaMiki1FukuharaTakasuke1TamuraTomokazu1SuzukiRigel1SuzukiSaori1TsujinoShuhei1ItoHayato1KakuYu2MisawaNaoko2PlianchaisukArnon2GuoZiyi2HinayAlfredo A.Jr.2UsuiKaoru2SaikruangWilaiporn2LytrasSpyridon2UriuKeiya2YoshimuraRyo2KawakuboShusuke2NishumuraLuca2KosugiYusuke2FujitaShigeru2M.TolentinoJarel Elgin2ChenLuo2PanLin2LiWenye2YoMaximilian Stanley2HorinakaKio2SuganamiMai2ChibaMika2YasudaKyoko2IidaKeiko2StrangeAdam Patrick2OhsumiNaomi2TanakaShiho2OgawaEiko2FukudaTsuki2OsujoRina2YoshimuraKazuhisa3SadamasKenji3NagashimaMami3AsakuraHiroyuki3YoshidaIsao3NakagawaSo4TakayamaKazuo5HashimotoRina5DeguchiSayaka5WatanabeYukio5NakataYoshitaka5FutatsusakoHiroki5SakamotoAyaka5YasuharaNaoko5SuzukiTateki5KimuraKanako5SasakiJiei5NakajimaYukari5IrieTakashi6KawabataRyoko6Sasaki-TabataKaori7IkedaTerumasa8NasserHesham8ShimizuRyo8BegumMst Monira8JonathanMichael8MugitaYuka8LeongSharee8TakahashiOtowa8UenoTakamasa8MotozonoChihiro8ToyodaMako8SaitoAkatsuki9KosakaAnon9KawanoMiki9MatsubaraNatsumi9NishiuchiTomoko9ZahradnikJiri10AndrikopoulosProkopios10Padilla-BlancoMiguel10KonarAditi10Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanDivision of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunolog, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, JapanTokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, JapanTokai University, Kanagawa, JapanKyoto University, Kyoto, JapanHiroshima University, Hiroshima, JapanKyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanKumamoto University, Kumamoto, JapanUniversity of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, JapanCharles University, Vestec-Prague, Czechia, Ito J, Hashiguchi T, Sato K. Molecular and structural insights into SARS-CoV-2 evolution: from BA.2 to XBB subvariants. mBio 2024; 15:e0322023. [PMID: 39283095 PMCID: PMC11481514 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03220-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the incessant emergence of various SARS-CoV-2 variants with enhanced fitness in the human population, controlling the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging. Understanding how the virus enhances its fitness during a pandemic could offer valuable insights for more effective control of viral epidemics. In this manuscript, we review the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 from early 2022 to the end of 2023-from Omicron BA.2 to XBB descendants. Focusing on viral evolution during this period, we provide concrete examples that SARS-CoV-2 has increased its fitness by enhancing several functions of the spike (S) protein, including its binding affinity to the ACE2 receptor and its ability to evade humoral immunity. Furthermore, we explore how specific mutations modify these functions of the S protein through structural alterations. This review provides evolutionary, molecular, and structural insights into how SARS-CoV-2 has increased its fitness and repeatedly caused epidemic surges during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisano Yajima
- Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomo Nomai
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Science and Center for Research and Education on Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kaho Okumura
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Katsumi Maenaka
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Science and Center for Research and Education on Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development, HU-IVReD, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Division of Pathogen Structure, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) ConsortiumMatsunoKeita1NaoNaganori1SawaHirofumi1MizumaKeita1LiJingshu1KidaIzumi1MimuraYume1OhariYuma1TanakaShinya1TsudaMasumi1WangLei1OdaYoshikata1FerdousZannatul1ShishidoKenji1MohriHiromi1IidaMiki1FukuharaTakasuke1TamuraTomokazu1SuzukiRigel1SuzukiSaori1TsujinoShuhei1ItoHayato1KakuYu2MisawaNaoko2PlianchaisukArnon2GuoZiyi2HinayAlfredo A.Jr.2UsuiKaoru2SaikruangWilaiporn2LytrasSpyridon2UriuKeiya2YoshimuraRyo2KawakuboShusuke2NishumuraLuca2KosugiYusuke2FujitaShigeru2M.TolentinoJarel Elgin2ChenLuo2PanLin2LiWenye2YoMaximilian Stanley2HorinakaKio2SuganamiMai2ChibaMika2YasudaKyoko2IidaKeiko2StrangeAdam Patrick2OhsumiNaomi2TanakaShiho2OgawaEiko2FukudaTsuki2OsujoRina2YoshimuraKazuhisa3SadamasKenji3NagashimaMami3AsakuraHiroyuki3YoshidaIsao3NakagawaSo4TakayamaKazuo5HashimotoRina5DeguchiSayaka5WatanabeYukio5NakataYoshitaka5FutatsusakoHiroki5SakamotoAyaka5YasuharaNaoko5SuzukiTateki5KimuraKanako5SasakiJiei5NakajimaYukari5IrieTakashi6KawabataRyoko6Sasaki-TabataKaori7IkedaTerumasa8NasserHesham8ShimizuRyo8BegumMst Monira8JonathanMichael8MugitaYuka8LeongSharee8TakahashiOtowa8UenoTakamasa8MotozonoChihiro8ToyodaMako8SaitoAkatsuki9KosakaAnon9KawanoMiki9MatsubaraNatsumi9NishiuchiTomoko9ZahradnikJiri10AndrikopoulosProkopios10Padilla-BlancoMiguel10KonarAditi10Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanDivision of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunolog, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, JapanTokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, JapanTokai University, Kanagawa, JapanKyoto University, Kyoto, JapanHiroshima University, Hiroshima, JapanKyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanKumamoto University, Kumamoto, JapanUniversity of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, JapanCharles University, Vestec-Prague, Czechia
- Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Science and Center for Research and Education on Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development, HU-IVReD, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Division of Pathogen Structure, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
- International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Kyoto University Immunomonitoring Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Collaboration Unit for Infection, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jumpei Ito
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takao Hashiguchi
- Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Kyoto University Immunomonitoring Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kei Sato
- Division of Systems Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Collaboration Unit for Infection, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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21
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Thakur B, Katte RH, Xu W, Janowska K, Sammour S, Henderson R, Lu M, Kwong PD, Acharya P. Conformational trajectory of the HIV-1 fusion peptide during CD4-induced envelope opening. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.14.613076. [PMID: 39314380 PMCID: PMC11419153 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.14.613076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
The hydrophobic fusion peptide (FP), a critical component of the HIV-1 entry machinery, is located at the N terminal stretch of the envelope (Env) gp41 subunit 1-3 . The receptor-binding gp120 subunit of Env forms a heterodimer with gp41 and assembles into a trimer, in which FP is accessible for antibody binding 3 . Env conformational changes or "opening" that follow receptor binding result in FP relocating to a newly formed interprotomer pocket at the gp41-gp120 interface where it is sterically inaccessible to antibody 4 . The mechanistic steps connecting the entry-related transition of antibody accessible-to-inaccessible FP configurations remain unresolved. Here, using SOSIP-stabilized Env ectodomains 5 , we visualized atomic-level details of a functional entry intermediate, where partially open Env was bound to receptor CD4, co-receptor mimetic antibody 17b, and FP-targeting antibody VRC34.01, demonstrating that FP remains antibody accessible despite substantial receptor-induced Env opening. We determined a series of structures delineating stepwise opening of Env from its closed state to a newly resolved intermediate and defining downstream re-organizations of the gp120-gp41 interface that ultimately resulted in FP burial in an antibody-inaccessible configuration. Our studies improve our understanding of HIV-1 entry and provide information on entry-related conformation reorganization of a key site of HIV vulnerability to neutralizing antibody.
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22
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Parsons RJ, Acharya P. Prying the lid open: Atomic-level insights on sialoglycan-TMPRSS2 coordination in HKU1 entry. Cell 2024; 187:4147-4149. [PMID: 39121845 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.007] [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: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
The pre-fusion coronavirus HKU1 spike binds host sialoglycans and proteinaceous receptor TMPRSS2 for cell entry. In this issue of Cell, three papers by Fernández et al., McCallum et al., and Wang et al. provide structural information on HKU1 spike interactions with host receptors, providing insights into its multi-step opening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth J Parsons
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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23
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Guenthoer J, Garrett ME, Lilly M, Depierreux DM, Ruiz F, Chi M, Stoddard CI, Chohan V, Yaffe ZA, Sung K, Ralph D, Chu HY, Matsen FA, Overbaugh J. The S2 subunit of spike encodes diverse targets for functional antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012383. [PMID: 39093891 PMCID: PMC11324185 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012383] [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: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic has exhibited a striking capacity for viral evolution that drives continued evasion from vaccine and infection-induced immune responses. Mutations in the receptor binding domain of the S1 subunit of the spike glycoprotein have led to considerable escape from antibody responses, reducing the efficacy of vaccines and monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies. Therefore, there is a need to interrogate more constrained regions of spike, such as the S2 subdomain. Here, we present a collection of S2 mAbs from two SARS-CoV-2 convalescent individuals that target multiple regions in S2, including regions outside of those commonly reported. One of the S2 mAbs, C20.119, which bound to a highly conserved epitope in the fusion peptide, was able to broadly neutralize across SARS-CoV-2 variants, SARS-CoV-1, and closely related zoonotic sarbecoviruses. The majority of the mAbs were non-neutralizing; however, many of them could mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) at levels similar to the S1-targeting mAb S309 that was previously authorized for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Several of the mAbs with ADCC function also bound to spike trimers from other human coronaviruses (HCoVs), such as MERS-CoV and HCoV-HKU1. Our findings suggest S2 mAbs can target diverse epitopes in S2, including functional mAbs with HCoV and sarbecovirus breadth that likely target functionally constrained regions of spike. These mAbs could be developed for potential future pandemics, while also providing insight into ideal epitopes for eliciting a broad HCoV response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Guenthoer
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Meghan E. Garrett
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Michelle Lilly
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Delphine M. Depierreux
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Felicitas Ruiz
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Margaret Chi
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Caitlin I. Stoddard
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Vrasha Chohan
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Zak A. Yaffe
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kevin Sung
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Duncan Ralph
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Helen Y. Chu
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Frederick A. Matsen
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Julie Overbaugh
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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24
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Zhang QE, Lindenberger J, Parsons RJ, Thakur B, Parks R, Park CS, Huang X, Sammour S, Janowska K, Spence TN, Edwards RJ, Martin M, Williams WB, Gobeil S, Montefiori DC, Korber B, Saunders KO, Haynes BF, Henderson R, Acharya P. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB lineage spike structures, conformations, antigenicity, and receptor recognition. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2747-2764.e7. [PMID: 39059371 PMCID: PMC11366207 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.06.028] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
A recombinant lineage of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant, named XBB, appeared in late 2022 and evolved descendants that successively swept local and global populations. XBB lineage members were noted for their improved immune evasion and transmissibility. Here, we determine cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5, and EG.5.1 spike (S) ectodomains to reveal reinforced 3-receptor binding domain (RBD)-down receptor-inaccessible closed states mediated by interprotomer RBD interactions previously observed in BA.1 and BA.2. Improved XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 RBD stability compensated for stability loss caused by early Omicron mutations, while the F456L substitution reduced EG.5 RBD stability. S1 subunit mutations had long-range impacts on conformation and epitope presentation in the S2 subunit. Our results reveal continued S protein evolution via simultaneous optimization of multiple parameters, including stability, receptor binding, and immune evasion, and the dramatic effects of relatively few residue substitutions in altering the S protein conformational landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi E Zhang
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | - Ruth J Parsons
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Bhishem Thakur
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Rob Parks
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Chan Soo Park
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xiao Huang
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Salam Sammour
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | - Taylor N Spence
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mitchell Martin
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wilton B Williams
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Integrative Immunology, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Sophie Gobeil
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Université Laval, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l'Université Laval, PROTEO, Le regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - David C Montefiori
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Bette Korber
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA; The New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - Kevin O Saunders
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Integrative Immunology, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Barton F Haynes
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Integrative Immunology, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Rory Henderson
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke University, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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25
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Dutta M, Acharya P. Cryo-electron microscopy in the study of virus entry and infection. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1429180. [PMID: 39114367 PMCID: PMC11303226 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1429180] [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: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Viruses have been responsible for many epidemics and pandemics that have impacted human life globally. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted both our vulnerability to viral outbreaks, as well as the mobilization of the scientific community to come together to combat the unprecedented threat to humanity. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) played a central role in our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic and continues to inform about this evolving pathogen. Cryo-EM with its two popular imaging modalities, single particle analysis (SPA) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), has contributed immensely to understanding the structure of viruses and interactions that define their life cycles and pathogenicity. Here, we review how cryo-EM has informed our understanding of three distinct viruses, of which two - HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 infect humans, and the third, bacteriophages, infect bacteria. For HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 our focus is on the surface glycoproteins that are responsible for mediating host receptor binding, and host and cell membrane fusion, while for bacteriophages, we review their structure, capsid maturation, attachment to the bacterial cell surface and infection initiation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moumita Dutta
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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26
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Stepanenko D, Wang Y, Simmerling C. Assessing pH-Dependent Conformational Changes in the Fusion Peptide Proximal Region of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein. Viruses 2024; 16:1066. [PMID: 39066230 PMCID: PMC11281432 DOI: 10.3390/v16071066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the entry mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus into host cells involves endosomal acidification. It has been proposed that under acidic conditions, the fusion peptide proximal region (FPPR) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein acts as a pH-dependent switch, modulating immune response accessibility by influencing the positioning of the receptor binding domain (RBD). This would provide indirect coupling of RBD opening to the environmental pH. Here, we explored this possible pH-dependent conformational equilibrium of the FPPR within the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. We analyzed hundreds of experimentally determined spike structures from the Protein Data Bank and carried out pH-replica exchange molecular dynamics to explore the extent to which the FPPR conformation depends on pH and the positioning of the RBD. A meta-analysis of experimental structures identified alternate conformations of the FPPR among structures in which this flexible regions was resolved. However, the results did not support a correlation between the FPPR conformation and either RBD position or the reported pH of the cryo-EM experiment. We calculated pKa values for titratable side chains in the FPPR region using PDB structures, but these pKa values showed large differences between alternate PDB structures that otherwise adopt the same FPPR conformation type. This hampers the comparison of pKa values in different FPPR conformations to rationalize a pH-dependent conformational change. We supplemented these PDB-based analyses with all-atom simulations and used constant-pH replica exchange molecular dynamics to estimate pKa values in the context of flexibility and explicit water. The resulting titration curves show good reproducibility between simulations, but they also suggest that the titration curves of the different FPPR conformations are the same within the error bars. In summary, we were unable to find evidence supporting the previously published hypothesis of an FPPR pH-dependent equilibrium: neither from existing experimental data nor from constant-pH MD simulations. The study underscores the complexity of the spike system and opens avenues for further exploration into the interplay between pH and SARS-CoV-2 viral entry mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darya Stepanenko
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; (D.S.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Yuzhang Wang
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; (D.S.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Carlos Simmerling
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; (D.S.); (Y.W.)
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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27
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Sasaki D, Arai T, Yang Y, Kuramochi M, Furuyama W, Nanbo A, Sekiguchi H, Morone N, Mio K, Sasaki YC. Micro-second time-resolved X-ray single-molecule internal motions of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants. Biochem Biophys Rep 2024; 38:101712. [PMID: 38903159 PMCID: PMC11187434 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101712] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-molecule intramolecular dynamics were successfully measured for three variants of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, alpha: B.1.1.7, delta: B.1.617, and omicron: B.1.1.529, with a time resolution of 100 μs using X-rays. The results were then compared with respect to the magnitude and directions of motions for the three variants. The largest 3-D intramolecular movement was observed for the omicron variant irrespective of ACE2 receptor binding. A more detailed analysis of the intramolecular motions revealed that the distribution state of intramolecular motion for the three variants was completely different with and without ACE2 receptor binding. The molecular dynamics for the trimeric spike protein of the omicron variant increased when ACE2 binding occurred. At that time, the diffusion constant increased from 71.0 [mrad2/ms] to 91.1 [mrad2/ms].
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Sasaki
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Arai
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan
| | - Yue Yang
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kuramochi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Naka-narusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki, 316-8511, Japan
| | - Wakako Furuyama
- National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Asuka Nanbo
- National Research Center for the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sekiguchi
- Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Morone
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Kazuhiro Mio
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan
| | - Yuji C. Sasaki
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan
- Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
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28
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Raisinghani N, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. Exploring conformational landscapes and binding mechanisms of convergent evolution for the SARS-CoV-2 spike Omicron variant complexes with the ACE2 receptor using AlphaFold2-based structural ensembles and molecular dynamics simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:17720-17744. [PMID: 38869513 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp01372g] [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: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we combined AlphaFold-based approaches for atomistic modeling of multiple protein states and microsecond molecular simulations to accurately characterize conformational ensembles evolution and binding mechanisms of convergent evolution for the SARS-CoV-2 spike Omicron variants BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.75, BA.3, BA.4/BA.5 and BQ.1.1. We employed and validated several different adaptations of the AlphaFold methodology for modeling of conformational ensembles including the introduced randomized full sequence scanning for manipulation of sequence variations to systematically explore conformational dynamics of Omicron spike protein complexes with the ACE2 receptor. Microsecond atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a detailed characterization of the conformational landscapes and thermodynamic stability of the Omicron variant complexes. By integrating the predictions of conformational ensembles from different AlphaFold adaptations and applying statistical confidence metrics we can expand characterization of the conformational ensembles and identify functional protein conformations that determine the equilibrium dynamics for the Omicron spike complexes with the ACE2. Conformational ensembles of the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes obtained using AlphaFold-based approaches for modeling protein states and MD simulations are employed for accurate comparative prediction of the binding energetics revealing an excellent agreement with the experimental data. In particular, the results demonstrated that AlphaFold-generated extended conformational ensembles can produce accurate binding energies for the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes. The results of this study suggested complementarities and potential synergies between AlphaFold predictions of protein conformational ensembles and MD simulations showing that integrating information from both methods can potentially yield a more adequate characterization of the conformational landscapes for the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes. This study provides insights in the interplay between conformational dynamics and binding, showing that evolution of Omicron variants through acquisition of convergent mutational sites may leverage conformational adaptability and dynamic couplings between key binding energy hotspots to optimize ACE2 binding affinity and enable immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishank Raisinghani
- 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.
| | - 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.
| | - 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.
| | - 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
| | - 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.
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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Shen J, Xu X, Fan J, Chen H, Zhao Y, Huang W, Liu W, Zhang Z, Cui Q, Li Q, Niu Z, Jiang D, Cao G. APOBEC3-related mutations in the spike protein-encoding region facilitate SARS-CoV-2 evolution. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32139. [PMID: 38868014 PMCID: PMC11168432 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32139] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 evolves gradually to cause COVID-19 epidemic. One of driving forces of SARS-CoV-2 evolution might be activation of apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic subunit-like protein 3 (APOBEC3) by inflammatory factors. Here, we aimed to elucidate the effect of the APOBEC3-related viral mutations on the infectivity and immune evasion of SARS-CoV-2. The APOBEC3-related C > U mutations ranked as the second most common mutation types in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. mRNA expression of APOBEC3A (A3A), APOBEC3B (A3B), and APOBEC3G (A3G) in peripheral blood cells increased with disease severity. A3B, a critical member of the APOBEC3 family, was significantly upregulated in both severe and moderate COVID-19 patients and positively associated with neutrophil proportion and COVID-19 severity. We identified USP18 protein, a key molecule centralizing the protein-protein interaction network of key APOBEC3 proteins. Furthermore, mRNA expression of USP18 was significantly correlated to ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in the tissue of upper airways. Knockdown of USP18 mRNA significantly decreased A3B expression. Ectopic expression of A3B gene increased SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. C > U mutations at S371F, S373L, and S375F significantly conferred with the immune escape of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, APOBEC3, whose expression are upregulated by inflammatory factors, might promote SARS-CoV-2 evolution and spread via upregulating USP18 level and facilitating the immune escape. A3B and USP18 might be therapeutic targets for interfering with SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Shen
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
| | - Xinxin Xu
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Junyan Fan
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongsen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weijin Huang
- Institute for Biological Product Control, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), WHO Collaborating Center for Standardization and Evaluation of Biologicals, NHC Key Laboratory of Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products and NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Research and Evaluation of Biological Products, 102629 Beijing, China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zihan Zhang
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
| | - Qianqian Cui
- Institute for Biological Product Control, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), WHO Collaborating Center for Standardization and Evaluation of Biologicals, NHC Key Laboratory of Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products and NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Research and Evaluation of Biological Products, 102629 Beijing, China
| | - Qianqian Li
- Institute for Biological Product Control, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), WHO Collaborating Center for Standardization and Evaluation of Biologicals, NHC Key Laboratory of Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products and NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Research and Evaluation of Biological Products, 102629 Beijing, China
| | - Zheyun Niu
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
| | - Dongming Jiang
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
| | - Guangwen Cao
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Defense, Ministry of Education, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Bioprotection, China
- Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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30
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Kircheis R. In Silico Analyses Indicate a Lower Potency for Dimerization of TLR4/MD-2 as the Reason for the Lower Pathogenicity of Omicron Compared to Wild-Type Virus and Earlier SARS-CoV-2 Variants. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5451. [PMID: 38791489 PMCID: PMC11121871 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105451] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants have replaced all earlier variants, due to increased infectivity and effective evasion from infection- and vaccination-induced neutralizing antibodies. Compared to earlier variants of concern (VoCs), the Omicron variants show high TMPRSS2-independent replication in the upper airway organs, but lower replication in the lungs and lower mortality rates. The shift in cellular tropism and towards lower pathogenicity of Omicron was hypothesized to correlate with a lower toll-like receptor (TLR) activation, although the underlying molecular mechanisms remained undefined. In silico analyses presented here indicate that the Omicron spike protein has a lower potency to induce dimerization of TLR4/MD-2 compared to wild type virus despite a comparable binding activity to TLR4. A model illustrating the molecular consequences of the different potencies of the Omicron spike protein vs. wild-type spike protein for TLR4 activation is presented. Further analyses indicate a clear tendency for decreasing TLR4 dimerization potential during SARS-CoV-2 evolution via Alpha to Gamma to Delta to Omicron variants.
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Raisinghani N, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. AlphaFold2 Predictions of Conformational Ensembles and Atomistic Simulations of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike XBB Lineages Reveal Epistatic Couplings between Convergent Mutational Hotspots that Control ACE2 Affinity. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:4696-4715. [PMID: 38696745 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01341] [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: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we combined AlphaFold-based atomistic structural modeling, microsecond molecular simulations, mutational profiling, and network analysis to characterize binding mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with the host receptor ACE2 for a series of Omicron XBB variants including XBB.1.5, XBB.1.5+L455F, XBB.1.5+F456L, and XBB.1.5+L455F+F456L. AlphaFold-based structural and dynamic modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Spike XBB lineages can accurately predict the experimental structures and characterize conformational ensembles of the spike protein complexes with the ACE2. Microsecond molecular dynamics simulations identified important differences in the conformational landscapes and equilibrium ensembles of the XBB variants, suggesting that combining AlphaFold predictions of multiple conformations with molecular dynamics simulations can provide a complementary approach for the characterization of functional protein states and binding mechanisms. Using the ensemble-based mutational profiling of protein residues and physics-based rigorous calculations of binding affinities, we identified binding energy hotspots and characterized the molecular basis underlying epistatic couplings between convergent mutational hotspots. Consistent with the experiments, the results revealed the mediating role of the Q493 hotspot in the synchronization of epistatic couplings between L455F and F456L mutations, providing a quantitative insight into the energetic determinants underlying binding differences between XBB lineages. We also proposed a network-based perturbation approach for mutational profiling of allosteric communications and uncovered the important relationships between allosteric centers mediating long-range communication and binding hotspots of epistatic couplings. The results of this study support a mechanism in which the binding mechanisms of the XBB variants may be determined by epistatic effects between convergent evolutionary hotspots that control ACE2 binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishank Raisinghani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
| | - Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States
| | - 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
| | - 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, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, 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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32
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Hong W, Lei H, Peng D, Huang Y, He C, Yang J, Zhou Y, Liu J, Pan X, Que H, Alu A, Chen L, Ai J, Qin F, Wang B, Ao D, Zeng Z, Hao Y, Zhang Y, Huang X, Ye C, Fu M, He X, Bi Z, Han X, Luo M, Hu H, Cheng W, Dong H, Lei J, Chen L, Zhou X, Wang W, Lu G, Shen G, Yang L, Yang J, Li J, Wang Z, Song X, Sun Q, Lu S, Wang Y, Cheng P, Wei X. A chimeric adenovirus-vectored vaccine based on Beta spike and Delta RBD confers a broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron-included SARS-CoV-2 variants. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e539. [PMID: 38680520 PMCID: PMC11055958 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.539] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Urgent research into innovative severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines that may successfully prevent various emerging emerged variants, particularly the Omicron variant and its subvariants, is necessary. Here, we designed a chimeric adenovirus-vectored vaccine named Ad5-Beta/Delta. This vaccine was created by incorporating the receptor-binding domain from the Delta variant, which has the L452R and T478K mutations, into the complete spike protein of the Beta variant. Both intramuscular (IM) and intranasal (IN) vaccination with Ad5-Beta/Deta vaccine induced robust broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron BA.5-included variants. IN immunization with Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine exhibited superior mucosal immunity, manifested by higher secretory IgA antibodies and more tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) in respiratory tract. The combination of IM and IN delivery of the Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine was capable of synergically eliciting stronger systemic and mucosal immune responses. Furthermore, the Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccination demonstrated more effective boosting implications after two dosages of mRNA or subunit recombinant protein vaccine, indicating its capacity for utilization as a booster shot in the heterologous vaccination. These outcomes quantified Ad5-Beta/Delta vaccine as a favorable vaccine can provide protective immunity versus SARS-CoV-2 pre-Omicron variants of concern and BA.5-included Omicron subvariants.
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Yuan M, Wilson IA. The D Gene in CDR H3 Determines a Public Class of Human Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:467. [PMID: 38793718 PMCID: PMC11126049 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12050467] [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: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Public antibody responses have been found against many infectious agents. Structural convergence of public antibodies is usually determined by immunoglobulin V genes. Recently, a human antibody public class against SARS-CoV-2 was reported, where the D gene (IGHD3-22) encodes a common YYDxxG motif in heavy-chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR H3), which determines specificity for the receptor-binding domain (RBD). In this review, we discuss the isolation, structural characterization, and genetic analyses of this class of antibodies, which have been isolated from various cohorts of COVID-19 convalescents and vaccinees. All eleven YYDxxG antibodies with available structures target the SARS-CoV-2 RBD in a similar binding mode, where the CDR H3 dominates the interaction with antigen. The antibodies target a conserved site on the RBD that does not overlap with the receptor-binding site, but their particular angle of approach results in direct steric hindrance to receptor binding, which enables both neutralization potency and breadth. We also review the properties of CDR H3-dominant antibodies that target other human viruses. Overall, unlike most public antibodies, which are identified by their V gene usage, this newly discovered public class of YYDxxG antibodies is dominated by a D-gene-encoded motif and uncovers further opportunities for germline-targeting vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yuan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA;
| | - Ian A. Wilson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA;
- The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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Raisinghani N, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Verkhivker G. Ensemble-Based Mutational Profiling and Network Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Omicron XBB Lineages for Interactions with the ACE2 Receptor and Antibodies: Cooperation of Binding Hotspots in Mediating Epistatic Couplings Underlies Binding Mechanism and Immune Escape. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4281. [PMID: 38673865 PMCID: PMC11049863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084281] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, we performed a computational study of binding mechanisms for the SARS-CoV-2 spike Omicron XBB lineages with the host cell receptor ACE2 and a panel of diverse class one antibodies. The central objective of this investigation was to examine the molecular factors underlying epistatic couplings among convergent evolution hotspots that enable optimal balancing of ACE2 binding and antibody evasion for Omicron variants BA.1, BA2, BA.3, BA.4/BA.5, BQ.1.1, XBB.1, XBB.1.5, and XBB.1.5 + L455F/F456L. By combining evolutionary analysis, molecular dynamics simulations, and ensemble-based mutational scanning of spike protein residues in complexes with ACE2, we identified structural stability and binding affinity hotspots that are consistent with the results of biochemical studies. In agreement with the results of deep mutational scanning experiments, our quantitative analysis correctly reproduced strong and variant-specific epistatic effects in the XBB.1.5 and BA.2 variants. It was shown that Y453W and F456L mutations can enhance ACE2 binding when coupled with Q493 in XBB.1.5, while these mutations become destabilized when coupled with the R493 position in the BA.2 variant. The results provided a molecular rationale of the epistatic mechanism in Omicron variants, showing a central role of the Q493/R493 hotspot in modulating epistatic couplings between convergent mutational sites L455F and F456L in XBB lineages. The results of mutational scanning and binding analysis of the Omicron XBB spike variants with ACE2 receptors and a panel of class one antibodies provide a quantitative rationale for the experimental evidence that epistatic interactions of the physically proximal binding hotspots Y501, R498, Q493, L455F, and F456L can determine strong ACE2 binding, while convergent mutational sites F456L and F486P are instrumental in mediating broad antibody resistance. The study supports a mechanism in which the impact on ACE2 binding affinity is mediated through a small group of universal binding hotspots, while the effect of immune evasion could be more variant-dependent and modulated by convergent mutational sites in the conformationally adaptable spike regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishank Raisinghani
- 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; (N.R.); (M.A.); (G.G.)
| | - 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; (N.R.); (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; (N.R.); (M.A.); (G.G.)
| | - 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; (N.R.); (M.A.); (G.G.)
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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Raisinghani N, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. Predicting Functional Conformational Ensembles and Binding Mechanisms of Convergent Evolution for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Omicron Variants Using AlphaFold2 Sequence Scanning Adaptations and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.587850. [PMID: 38617283 PMCID: PMC11014522 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.587850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we combined AlphaFold-based approaches for atomistic modeling of multiple protein states and microsecond molecular simulations to accurately characterize conformational ensembles and binding mechanisms of convergent evolution for the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Omicron variants BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.75, BA.3, BA.4/BA.5 and BQ.1.1. We employed and validated several different adaptations of the AlphaFold methodology for modeling of conformational ensembles including the introduced randomized full sequence scanning for manipulation of sequence variations to systematically explore conformational dynamics of Omicron Spike protein complexes with the ACE2 receptor. Microsecond atomistic molecular dynamic simulations provide a detailed characterization of the conformational landscapes and thermodynamic stability of the Omicron variant complexes. By integrating the predictions of conformational ensembles from different AlphaFold adaptations and applying statistical confidence metrics we can expand characterization of the conformational ensembles and identify functional protein conformations that determine the equilibrium dynamics for the Omicron Spike complexes with the ACE2. Conformational ensembles of the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes obtained using AlphaFold-based approaches for modeling protein states and molecular dynamics simulations are employed for accurate comparative prediction of the binding energetics revealing an excellent agreement with the experimental data. In particular, the results demonstrated that AlphaFold-generated extended conformational ensembles can produce accurate binding energies for the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes. The results of this study suggested complementarities and potential synergies between AlphaFold predictions of protein conformational ensembles and molecular dynamics simulations showing that integrating information from both methods can potentially yield a more adequate characterization of the conformational landscapes for the Omicron RBD-ACE2 complexes. This study provides insights in the interplay between conformational dynamics and binding, showing that evolution of Omicron variants through acquisition of convergent mutational sites may leverage conformational adaptability and dynamic couplings between key binding energy hotspots to optimize ACE2 binding affinity and enable immune evasion.
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Zhang QE, Lindenberger J, Parsons R, Thakur B, Parks R, Park CS, Huang X, Sammour S, Janowska K, Spence TN, Edwards RJ, Martin M, Williams WB, Gobeil S, Montefiori DC, Korber B, Saunders KO, Haynes BF, Haynes BF, Henderson R, Acharya P. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB lineage spike structures, conformations, antigenicity, and receptor recognition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.12.580004. [PMID: 38405707 PMCID: PMC10888797 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.580004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
A recombinant lineage of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, named XBB, appeared in late 2022 and evolved descendants that successively swept local and global populations. XBB lineage members were noted for their improved immune evasion and transmissibility. Here, we determine cryo-EM structures of XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5 and EG.5.1 spike (S) ectodomains to reveal reinforced 3-RBD-down receptor inaccessible closed states mediated by interprotomer receptor binding domain (RBD) interactions previously observed in BA.1 and BA.2. Improved XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 RBD stability compensated for stability loss caused by early Omicron mutations, while the F456L substitution reduced EG.5 RBD stability. S1 subunit mutations had long-range impacts on conformation and epitope presentation in the S2 subunit. Our results reveal continued S protein evolution via simultaneous optimization of multiple parameters including stability, receptor binding and immune evasion, and the dramatic effects of relatively few residue substitutions in altering the S protein conformational landscape.
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Raisinghani N, Alshahrani M, Gupta G, Xiao S, Tao P, Verkhivker G. AlphaFold2-Enabled Atomistic Modeling of Structure, Conformational Ensembles, and Binding Energetics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.86 Spike Protein with ACE2 Host Receptor and Antibodies: Compensatory Functional Effects of Binding Hotspots in Modulating Mechanisms of Receptor Binding and Immune Escape. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:1657-1681. [PMID: 38373700 PMCID: PMC12103816 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The latest wave of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants displayed a growth advantage and increased viral fitness through convergent evolution of functional hotspots that work synchronously to balance fitness requirements for productive receptor binding and efficient immune evasion. In this study, we combined AlphaFold2-based structural modeling approaches with atomistic simulations and mutational profiling of binding energetics and stability for prediction and comprehensive analysis of the structure, dynamics, and binding of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.86 spike variant with ACE2 host receptor and distinct classes of antibodies. We adapted several AlphaFold2 approaches to predict both the structure and conformational ensembles of the Omicron BA.2.86 spike protein in the complex with the host receptor. The results showed that the AlphaFold2-predicted structural ensemble of the BA.2.86 spike protein complex with ACE2 can accurately capture the main conformational states of the Omicron variant. Complementary to AlphaFold2 structural predictions, microsecond molecular dynamics simulations reveal the details of the conformational landscape and produced equilibrium ensembles of the BA.2.86 structures that are used to perform mutational scanning of spike residues and characterize structural stability and binding energy hotspots. The ensemble-based mutational profiling of the receptor binding domain residues in the BA.2 and BA.2.86 spike complexes with ACE2 revealed a group of conserved hydrophobic hotspots and critical variant-specific contributions of the BA.2.86 convergent mutational hotspots R403K, F486P, and R493Q. To examine the immune evasion properties of BA.2.86 in atomistic detail, we performed structure-based mutational profiling of the spike protein binding interfaces with distinct classes of antibodies that displayed significantly reduced neutralization against the BA.2.86 variant. The results revealed the molecular basis of compensatory functional effects of the binding hotspots, showing that BA.2.86 lineage may have evolved to outcompete other Omicron subvariants by improving immune evasion while preserving binding affinity with ACE2 via through a compensatory effect of R493Q and F486P convergent mutational hotspots. This study demonstrated that an integrative approach combining AlphaFold2 predictions with complementary atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and robust ensemble-based mutational profiling of spike residues can enable accurate and comprehensive characterization of structure, dynamics, and binding mechanisms of newly emerging Omicron variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishank Raisinghani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States of America
| | - Mohammed Alshahrani
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States of America
| | - Grace Gupta
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States of America
| | - 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 of America
| | - 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 of America
| | - Gennady Verkhivker
- Keck Center for Science and Engineering, Graduate Program in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, California 92618, United States of America
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Aldoukhi AH, Bilalis P, Alhattab DM, Valle-Pérez AU, Susapto HH, Pérez-Pedroza R, Backhoff-García E, Alsawaf SM, Alshehri S, Boshah H, Alrashoudi AA, Aljabr WA, Alaamery M, Alrashed M, Hasanato RM, Farzan RA, Alsubki RA, Moretti M, Abedalthagafi MS, Hauser CAE. Fusing Peptide Epitopes for Advanced Multiplex Serological Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Detection. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2024; 4:37-52. [PMID: 38404747 PMCID: PMC10885102 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.3c00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The tragic COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a total of 655 million cases worldwide and a death toll of over 6.6 million seems finally tailing off. Even so, new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to arise, the severity of which cannot be predicted in advance. This is concerning for the maintenance and stability of public health, since immune evasion and increased transmissibility may arise. Therefore, it is crucial to continue monitoring antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in the general population. As a complement to polymerase chain reaction tests, multiplex immunoassays are elegant tools that use individual protein or peptide antigens simultaneously to provide a high level of sensitivity and specificity. To further improve these aspects of SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection, as well as accuracy, we have developed an advanced serological peptide-based multiplex assay using antigen-fused peptide epitopes derived from both the spike and the nucleocapsid proteins. The significance of the epitopes selected for antibody detection has been verified by in silico molecular docking simulations between the peptide epitopes and reported SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Peptides can be more easily and quickly modified and synthesized than full length proteins and can, therefore, be used in a more cost-effective manner. Three different fusion-epitope peptides (FEPs) were synthesized and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 145 blood serum samples were used, compromising 110 COVID-19 serum samples from COVID-19 patients and 35 negative control serum samples taken from COVID-19-free individuals before the outbreak. Interestingly, our data demonstrate that the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the results for the FEP antigens are higher than for single peptide epitopes or mixtures of single peptide epitopes. Our FEP concept can be applied to different multiplex immunoassays testing not only for SARS-CoV-2 but also for various other pathogens. A significantly improved peptide-based serological assay may support the development of commercial point-of-care tests, such as lateral-flow-assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali H. Aldoukhi
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Panayiotis Bilalis
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dana M. Alhattab
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alexander U. Valle-Pérez
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hepi H. Susapto
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rosario Pérez-Pedroza
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Emiliano Backhoff-García
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah M. Alsawaf
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salwa Alshehri
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hattan Boshah
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulelah A. Alrashoudi
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed A. Aljabr
- Research
Centre, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal Alaamery
- Developmental
Medicine Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research
Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health
Affairs, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University
for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- KACST-BWH
Centre of Excellence for Biomedicine, Joint Centers of Excellence
Program, King Abdulaziz City for Science
and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 12371, Saudi Arabia
- Saudi
Human Genome Project (SHGP), Satellite Lab at King Abdulaziz Medical
City (KAMC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNG-HA), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
| | - May Alrashed
- Department
of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
- Chair
of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rana M. Hasanato
- Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King
Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raed A. Farzan
- Department
of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
- Chair
of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
| | - Roua A. Alsubki
- Department
of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
- Chair
of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manola Moretti
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Malak S. Abedalthagafi
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory
School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, United States
| | - Charlotte A. E. Hauser
- Laboratory
for Nanomedicine, Division of Biological and Environmental Science
and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University
of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Computational
Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-69900, Saudi Arabia
- Red Sea
Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental
Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah
University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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Valdez-Cruz NA, Rosiles-Becerril D, Martínez-Olivares CE, García-Hernández E, Cobos-Marín L, Garzón D, López-Salas FE, Zavala G, Luviano A, Olvera A, Alagón A, Ramírez OT, Trujillo-Roldán MA. Oral administration of a recombinant modified RBD antigen of SARS-CoV-2 as a possible immunostimulant for the care of COVID-19. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:41. [PMID: 38321489 PMCID: PMC10848483 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02320-5] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 that consider manufacturing limitations, equitable access, and acceptance is necessary for developing platforms to produce antigens that can be efficiently presented for generating neutralizing antibodies and as a model for new vaccines. RESULTS This work presents the development of an applicable technology through the oral administration of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD antigen fused with a peptide to improve its antigenic presentation. We focused on the development and production of the recombinant receptor binding domain (RBD) produced in E. coli modified with the addition of amino acids extension designed to improve antigen presentation. The production was carried out in shake flask and bioreactor cultures, obtaining around 200 mg/L of the antigen. The peptide-fused RBD and peptide-free RBD proteins were characterized and compared using SDS-PAGE gel, high-performance chromatography, and circular dichroism. The peptide-fused RBD was formulated in an oil-in-water emulsion for oral mice immunization. The peptide-fused RBD, compared to RBD, induced robust IgG production in mice, capable of recognizing the recombinant RBD in Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. In addition, the peptide-fused RBD generated neutralizing antibodies in the sera of the dosed mice. The formulation showed no reactive episodes and no changes in temperature or vomiting. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of the designed peptide added to the RBD to improve antigen immunostimulation by oral administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norma A Valdez-Cruz
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, México. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico.
- Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km 107 Carretera, 22860, Tijuana-Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
| | - Diego Rosiles-Becerril
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, México. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico
| | - Constanza E Martínez-Olivares
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, México. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico
| | - Enrique García-Hernández
- Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Laura Cobos-Marín
- Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Daniel Garzón
- Unidad de Modelos Biológicos, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico
| | - Francisco E López-Salas
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, México. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico
| | - Guadalupe Zavala
- Unidad de Microscopia Electrónica, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mor, Mexico
| | - Axel Luviano
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiologia Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mor, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Olvera
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mor, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mor, Mexico
| | - Octavio T Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mor, Mexico
| | - Mauricio A Trujillo-Roldán
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico, México. AP. 70228, CP. 04510, México, D.F, Mexico.
- Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km 107 Carretera, 22860, Tijuana-Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
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Elko EA, Mead HL, Nelson GA, Zaia JA, Ladner JT, Altin JA. Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations at Spike D796 evade antibodies from pre-Omicron convalescent and vaccinated subjects. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0329123. [PMID: 38189279 PMCID: PMC10871546 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03291-23] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages of the Omicron variant rapidly became dominant in early 2022 and frequently cause human infections despite vaccination or prior infection with other variants. In addition to antibody-evading mutations in the receptor-binding domain, Omicron features amino acid mutations elsewhere in the Spike protein; however, their effects generally remain ill defined. The Spike D796Y substitution is present in all Omicron sub-variants and occurs at the same site as a mutation (D796H) selected during viral evolution in a chronically infected patient. Here, we map antibody reactivity to a linear epitope in the Spike protein overlapping position 796. We show that antibodies binding this region arise in pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 convalescent and vaccinated subjects but that both D796Y and D796H abrogate their binding. These results suggest that D796Y contributes to the fitness of Omicron in hosts with pre-existing immunity to other variants of SARS-CoV-2 by evading antibodies targeting this site.IMPORTANCESevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved substantially through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: understanding the drivers and consequences of this evolution is essential for projecting the course of the pandemic and developing new countermeasures. Here, we study the immunological effects of a particular mutation present in the Spike protein of all Omicron strains and find that it prevents the efficient binding of a class of antibodies raised by pre-Omicron vaccination and infection. These findings reveal a novel consequence of a poorly understood Omicron mutation and shed light on the drivers and effects of SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A. Elko
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Heather L. Mead
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Georgia A. Nelson
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - John A. Zaia
- Center for Gene Therapy, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Jason T. Ladner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - John A. Altin
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Akermi S, Smaoui S, Chaari M, Elhadef K, Gentile R, Hait M, Roymahapatra G, Mellouli L. Combined in vitro/in silico approaches, molecular dynamics simulations and safety assessment of the multifunctional properties of thymol and carvacrol: A comparative insight. Chem Biodivers 2024; 21:e202301575. [PMID: 38116885 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202301575] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants have acquired immense attentiveness in drug discovery and development. The present study investigated in vitro and predicted in silico the antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties of thymol and carvacrol, and assessed their safety. The performed microbiological assays against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium revealed that the minimal inhibitory concentration values ranged from (0.078 to 0.312 mg/mL) and the minimal fungicidal concentration against Candida albicans was 0.625 mg/mL. Molecular docking simulations, stipulated that these compounds could inhibit bacterial replication and transcription functions by targeting DNA and RNA polymerases receptors with docking scores varying between (-5.1 to -6.9 kcal/mol). Studied hydroxylated monoterpenes could hinder C. albicans growth by impeding lanosterol 14α-demethylase enzyme and showed a (ΔG=-6.2 and -6.3 kcal/mol). Computational studies revealed that thymol and carvacrol could target the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein of the Omicron variant RBD domain. Molecular dynamics simulations disclosed that these compounds have a stable dynamic behavior over 100 ns as compared to remdesivir. Chemo-computational toxicity prediction using Protox II webserver indicated that thymol and carvacrol could be safely and effectively used as drug candidates to tackle bacterial, fungal, and viral infections as compared to chemical medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarra Akermi
- Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymatic Biotechnologies and Biomolecules. Center of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Sfax-, Tunisia
| | - Slim Smaoui
- Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymatic Biotechnologies and Biomolecules. Center of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Sfax-, Tunisia
| | - Moufida Chaari
- Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymatic Biotechnologies and Biomolecules. Center of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Sfax-, Tunisia
| | - Khaoula Elhadef
- Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymatic Biotechnologies and Biomolecules. Center of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Sfax-, Tunisia
| | - Rocco Gentile
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Milan Hait
- Department of Chemistry, Dr. C. V. Raman University, Kota, 495113, Bilaspur, India
| | | | - Lotfi Mellouli
- Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymatic Biotechnologies and Biomolecules. Center of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax, 3018, Sfax-, Tunisia
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Cervantes-Torres J, Cabello-Gutiérrez C, Ayón-Núñez DA, Soldevila G, Olguin-Alor R, Diaz G, Acero G, Segura-Velázquez R, Huerta L, Gracia-Mora I, Cobos L, Pérez-Tapia M, Almagro JC, Suárez-Güemes F, Bobes RJ, Fragoso G, Sciutto E, Laclette JP. Caveats of chimpanzee ChAdOx1 adenovirus-vectored vaccines to boost anti-SARS-CoV-2 protective immunity in mice. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:179. [PMID: 38280035 PMCID: PMC10821985 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12927-0] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Several COVID-19 vaccines use adenovirus vectors to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. Immunization with these vaccines promotes immunity against the S protein, but against also the adenovirus itself. This could interfere with the entry of the vaccine into the cell, reducing its efficacy. Herein, we evaluate the efficiency of an adenovirus-vectored vaccine (chimpanzee ChAdOx1 adenovirus, AZD1222) in boosting the specific immunity compared to that induced by a recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based vaccine without viral vector. Mice immunized with the AZD1222 human vaccine were given a booster 6 months later, with either the homologous vaccine or a recombinant vaccine based on RBD of the delta variant, which was prevalent at the start of this study. A significant increase in anti-RBD antibody levels was observed in rRBD-boosted mice (31-61%) compared to those receiving two doses of AZD1222 (0%). Significantly higher rates of PepMix™- or RBD-elicited proliferation were also observed in IFNγ-producing CD4 and CD8 cells from mice boosted with one or two doses of RBD, respectively. The lower efficiency of the ChAdOx1-S vaccine in boosting specific immunity could be the result of a pre-existing anti-vector immunity, induced by increased levels of anti-adenovirus antibodies found both in mice and humans. Taken together, these results point to the importance of avoiding the recurrent use of the same adenovirus vector in individuals with immunity and memory against them. It also illustrates the disadvantages of ChAdOx1 adenovirus-vectored vaccine with respect to recombinant protein vaccines, which can be used without restriction in vaccine-booster programs. KEY POINTS: • ChAdOx1 adenovirus vaccine (AZD1222) may not be effective in boosting anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity • A recombinant RBD protein vaccine is effective in boosting anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity in mice • Antibodies elicited by the rRBD-delta vaccine persisted for up to 3 months in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelynne Cervantes-Torres
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Carlos Cabello-Gutiérrez
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias "Ismael Cosío Villegas", Calzada de Tlalpan 4502, Belisario Domínguez Secc. 16, Tlalpan, 14080, Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico
| | - Dolores-Adriana Ayón-Núñez
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gloria Soldevila
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratorio Nacional de Citometría de Flujo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Roxana Olguin-Alor
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratorio Nacional de Citometría de Flujo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Georgina Diaz
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Acero
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - René Segura-Velázquez
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Leonor Huerta
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Isabel Gracia-Mora
- Unidad de Experimentación Preclínica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Laura Cobos
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mayra Pérez-Tapia
- Unidad de Desarrollo e Investigación en Bioterapeúticos (UDIBI), Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 11340, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan C Almagro
- Unidad de Desarrollo e Investigación en Bioterapeúticos (UDIBI), Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 11340, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Francisco Suárez-Güemes
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Raúl J Bobes
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gladis Fragoso
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Edda Sciutto
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Juan Pedro Laclette
- Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Zhao X, Gao F. Novel Omicron Variants Enhance Anchored Recognition of TMEM106B: A New Pathway for SARS-CoV-2 Cellular Invasion. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:671-680. [PMID: 38206837 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03296] [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: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The recent discovery that TMEM106B serves as a receptor mediating ACE2-independent SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells deserves attention, especially in the background of the frequent emergence of mutant strains. Here, the structure-dynamic features of this novel pathway are dissected deeply. Our investigation revealed that the large loop (RBD@471-491) could anchor TMEM106B, which was then firmly locked by another loop (RBD@444-451). The novel and widely disseminated Omicron variants (BA.2.86/EG.5.1) affect the anchoring recognition of proteins, with BA.2.86 being more likely to impact cells with limited or undetectable ACE2 expression. The large loop of the EG.5.1 variant captures TMEM106B poorly due to impaired electrostatic complementarity. Furthermore, we emphasize that antibody design against these two loops could enhance the protection of ACE2 low-expressing cells according to the alanine scanning mutagenesis of multiple antibodies. We hope this study will provide a novel perspective for the prevention and treatment against this new viral invasion pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Zhao
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300072, China
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Bruch EM, Zhu S, Szymkowicz L, Blake T, Kiss T, James DA, Rak A, Narayan K, Balmer MT, Chicz RM. Structural and biochemical rationale for Beta variant protein booster vaccine broad cross-neutralization of SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2038. [PMID: 38263191 PMCID: PMC10805794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52499-1] [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: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, uses a surface expressed trimeric spike glycoprotein for cell entry. This trimer is the primary target for neutralizing antibodies making it a key candidate for vaccine development. During the global pandemic circulating variants of concern (VOC) caused several waves of infection, severe disease, and death. The reduced efficacy of the ancestral trimer-based vaccines against emerging VOC led to the need for booster vaccines. Here we present a detailed characterization of the Sanofi Beta trimer, utilizing cryo-EM for structural elucidation. We investigate the conformational dynamics and stabilizing features using orthogonal SPR, SEC, nanoDSF, and HDX-MS techniques to better understand how this antigen elicits superior broad neutralizing antibodies as a variant booster vaccine. This structural analysis confirms the Beta trimer preference for canonical quaternary structure with two RBD in the up position and the reversible equilibrium between the canonical spike and open trimer conformations. Moreover, this report provides a better understanding of structural differences between spike antigens contributing to differential vaccine efficacy.
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45
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Mei S, Zou Y, Jiang S, Xue L, Wang Y, Jing H, Yang P, Niu MM, Li J, Yuan K, Zhang Y. Highly potent dual-targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) peptides: A promising broad-spectrum therapeutic strategy against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 263:115908. [PMID: 37981444 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115908] [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: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
The efficacy of approved vaccines has been diminishing due to the increasing advent of SARS-CoV-2 variants with diverse mutations that favor sneak entry. Nonetheless, these variants recognize the conservative host receptors angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and neuropilin-1 (NRP1) for entry, rendering the dual blockade of ACE2 and NRP1 an advantageous pan-inhibition strategy. Here, we identified a highly potent dual-targeting peptide AP-1 using structure-based virtual screening protocol. AP-1 had nanoscale binding affinities for ACE2 (Kd = 6.1 ± 0.2 nM) and NRP1 (Kd = 13.4 ± 1.2 nM) and approximately 102- and 8-fold stronger than positive inhibitors S471-503 and NMTP-5, respectively. Further evidence in pseudovirus cell infection and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that AP-1 exhibited remarkable entry inhibition of variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 without impairing host cell viability. Together, our findings suggest that AP-1 with dual-targeting ACE2/NRP1 efficacy could be a promising broad-spectrum agent for treating SARS-CoV-2 emerging VOCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Mei
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yunting Zou
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Su Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Lu Xue
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Han Jing
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Peng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Miao-Miao Niu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Ministry of Education, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Jindong Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China.
| | - Kai Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China.
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China.
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Parsons RJ, Acharya P. Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113444. [PMID: 37979169 PMCID: PMC10782855 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern, first identified in November 2021, rapidly spread worldwide and diversified into several subvariants. The Omicron spike (S) protein accumulated an unprecedented number of sequence changes relative to previous variants. In this review, we discuss how Omicron S protein structural features modulate host cell receptor binding, virus entry, and immune evasion and highlight how these structural features differentiate Omicron from previous variants. We also examine how key structural properties track across the still-evolving Omicron subvariants and the importance of continuing surveillance of the S protein sequence evolution over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth J Parsons
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Biochemistry, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke University, Department of Surgery, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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47
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de Souza AS, de Souza RF, Guzzo CR. Cooperative and structural relationships of the trimeric Spike with infectivity and antibody escape of the strains Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (BA.2, BA.5, and BQ.1). J Comput Aided Mol Des 2023; 37:585-606. [PMID: 37792106 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-023-00534-0] [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: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we conducted simulations of trimeric Spike from several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (Delta and Omicron sub-variants BA.2, BA.5, and BQ.1) and investigated the mechanisms by which specific mutations confer resistance to neutralizing antibodies. We observed that the mutations primarily affect the cooperation between protein domains within and between protomers. The substitutions K417N and L452R expand hydrogen bonding interactions, reducing their interaction with neutralizing antibodies. By interacting with nearby residues, the K444T and N460K mutations in the SpikeBQ.1 variant potentially reduces solvent exposure, thereby promoting resistance to antibodies. We also examined the impact of D614G, P681R, and P681H substitutions on Spike protein structure that may be related to infectivity. The D614G substitution influences communication between a glycine residue and neighboring domains, affecting the transition between up- and -down RBD states. The P681R mutation, found in the Delta variant, enhances correlations between protein subunits, while the P681H mutation in Omicron sub-variants weakens long-range interactions that may be associated with reduced fusogenicity. Using a multiple linear regression model, we established a connection between inter-protomer communication and loss of sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies. Our findings underscore the importance of structural communication between protein domains and provide insights into potential mechanisms of immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2. Overall, this study deepens our understanding of how specific mutations impact SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and shed light on how the virus evades the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anacleto Silva de Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil.
| | - Robson Francisco de Souza
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Rodrigues Guzzo
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitária, Sao Paulo, SP, 5508-900, Brazil.
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Kapingidza AB, Marston DJ, Harris C, Wrapp D, Winters K, Mielke D, Xiaozhi L, Yin Q, Foulger A, Parks R, Barr M, Newman A, Schäfer A, Eaton A, Flores JM, Harner A, Catanzaro NJ, Mallory ML, Mattocks MD, Beverly C, Rhodes B, Mansouri K, Van Itallie E, Vure P, Dunn B, Keyes T, Stanfield-Oakley S, Woods CW, Petzold EA, Walter EB, Wiehe K, Edwards RJ, Montefiori DC, Ferrari G, Baric R, Cain DW, Saunders KO, Haynes BF, Azoitei ML. Engineered immunogens to elicit antibodies against conserved coronavirus epitopes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7897. [PMID: 38036525 PMCID: PMC10689493 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43638-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 primarily target the receptor binding domain of the spike protein, which continually mutates to escape acquired immunity. Other regions in the spike S2 subunit, such as the stem helix and the segment encompassing residues 815-823 adjacent to the fusion peptide, are highly conserved across sarbecoviruses and are recognized by broadly reactive antibodies, providing hope that vaccines targeting these epitopes could offer protection against both current and emergent viruses. Here we employ computational modeling to design scaffolded immunogens that display the spike 815-823 peptide and the stem helix epitopes without the distracting and immunodominant receptor binding domain. These engineered proteins bind with high affinity and specificity to the mature and germline versions of previously identified broadly protective human antibodies. Epitope scaffolds interact with both sera and isolated monoclonal antibodies with broadly reactivity from individuals with pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 immunity. When used as immunogens, epitope scaffolds elicit sera with broad betacoronavirus reactivity and protect as "boosts" against live virus challenge in mice, illustrating their potential as components of a future pancoronavirus vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Brenda Kapingidza
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Daniel J Marston
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Caitlin Harris
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Wrapp
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Winters
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dieter Mielke
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lu Xiaozhi
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Qi Yin
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Foulger
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Rob Parks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Maggie Barr
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Amanda Newman
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alexandra Schäfer
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Amanda Eaton
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Justine Mae Flores
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Austin Harner
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas J Catanzaro
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael L Mallory
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Melissa D Mattocks
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christopher Beverly
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Brianna Rhodes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Van Itallie
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Pranay Vure
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Brooke Dunn
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Taylor Keyes
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Christopher W Woods
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Infectious Diseases and Diagnostic Innovation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Petzold
- Center for Infectious Diseases and Diagnostic Innovation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emmanuel B Walter
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Guido Ferrari
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ralph Baric
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Derek W Cain
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kevin O Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Barton F Haynes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mihai L Azoitei
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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Kumar S, Delipan R, Chakraborty D, Kanjo K, Singh R, Singh N, Siddiqui S, Tyagi A, Jha V, Thakur KG, Pandey R, Varadarajan R, Ringe RP. Mutations in S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike strongly influence its conformation, fusogenicity, and neutralization sensitivity. J Virol 2023; 97:e0092223. [PMID: 37861334 PMCID: PMC10688319 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00922-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The Omicron subvariants have substantially evaded host-neutralizing antibodies and adopted an endosomal route of entry. The virus has acquired several mutations in the receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain of S1 subunit, but remarkably, also incorporated mutations in S2 which are fixed in Omicron sub-lineage. Here, we found that the mutations in the S2 subunit affect the structural and biological properties such as neutralization escape, entry route, fusogenicity, and protease requirement. In vivo, these mutations may have significant roles in tropism and replication. A detailed understanding of the effects of S2 mutations on Spike function, immune evasion, and viral entry would inform the vaccine design, as well as therapeutic interventions aiming to block the essential proteases for virus entry. Thus, our study has identified the crucial role of S2 mutations in stabilizing the Omicron spike and modulating neutralization resistance to antibodies targeting the S1 subunit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Kumar
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Rathina Delipan
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Kawkab Kanjo
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Nittu Singh
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Samreen Siddiqui
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Akansha Tyagi
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Vinitaa Jha
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Krishan G. Thakur
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
| | | | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
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Pastorio C, Noettger S, Nchioua R, Zech F, Sparrer KM, Kirchhoff F. Impact of mutations defining SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5 on Spike function and neutralization. iScience 2023; 26:108299. [PMID: 38026181 PMCID: PMC10661123 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Additional mutations in the viral Spike protein helped the BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants to outcompete the parental BA.2 subvariant. Here, we determined the functional impact of mutations that newly emerged in the BA.2.12.1 (L452Q, S704L) and BA.4/5 (Δ69-70, L452R, F486V, R493Q) Spike proteins. Our results show that mutation of L452Q/R or F486V typically increases and R493Q or S704L impair BA.2 Spike-mediated infection. In combination, changes of Δ69-70, L452R, and F486V contribute to the higher infectiousness and fusogenicity of the BA.4/5 Spike. L452R/Q and F486V in Spike are mainly responsible for reduced sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies. However, the combined mutations are required for full infectivity, reduced TMPRSS2 dependency, and immune escape of BA.4/5 Spike. Thus, it is the specific combination of mutations in BA.4/5 Spike that allows increased functionality and immune evasion, which helps to explain the temporary dominance and increased pathogenicity of these Omicron subvariants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Pastorio
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Sabrina Noettger
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Rayhane Nchioua
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Fabian Zech
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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