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Stabilised BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 spike with H6 nanobodies in '3 up' RBD conformation
Structural highlights
FunctionWAC_BPT4 Chaperone responsible for attachment of long tail fibers to virus particle. Forms the fibrous structure on the neck of the virion called whiskers. During phage assembly, 6 fibritin molecules attach to each virion neck through their N-terminal domains, to form a collar with six fibers ('whiskers').SPIKE_SARS2 attaches the virion to the cell membrane by interacting with host receptor, initiating the infection (By similarity). Binding to human ACE2 receptor and internalization of the virus into the endosomes of the host cell induces conformational changes in the Spike glycoprotein (PubMed:32142651, PubMed:32075877, PubMed:32155444). Uses also human TMPRSS2 for priming in human lung cells which is an essential step for viral entry (PubMed:32142651). Proteolysis by cathepsin CTSL may unmask the fusion peptide of S2 and activate membranes fusion within endosomes.[HAMAP-Rule:MF_04099][1] [2] [3] mediates fusion of the virion and cellular membranes by acting as a class I viral fusion protein. Under the current model, the protein has at least three conformational states: pre-fusion native state, pre-hairpin intermediate state, and post-fusion hairpin state. During viral and target cell membrane fusion, the coiled coil regions (heptad repeats) assume a trimer-of-hairpins structure, positioning the fusion peptide in close proximity to the C-terminal region of the ectodomain. The formation of this structure appears to drive apposition and subsequent fusion of viral and target cell membranes.[HAMAP-Rule:MF_04099] Acts as a viral fusion peptide which is unmasked following S2 cleavage occurring upon virus endocytosis.[HAMAP-Rule:MF_04099] Publication Abstract from PubMedThe Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2 pose a significant challenge to the development of effective antibody-based treatments as immune evasion has compromised most available immune therapeutics. Therefore, in the 'arms race' with the virus, there is a continuing need to identify new biologics for the prevention or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Here, we report the isolation of nanobodies that bind to the Omicron BA.1 spike protein by screening nanobody phage display libraries previously generated from llamas immunized with either the Wuhan or Beta spike proteins. The structure and binding properties of three of these nanobodies (A8, H6 and B5-5) have been characterized in detail providing insight into their binding epitopes on the Omicron spike protein. Trimeric versions of H6 and B5-5 neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern BA.5 both in vitro and in the hamster model of COVID-19 following nasal administration. Thus, either alone or in combination could serve as starting points for the development of new anti-viral immunotherapeutics. Structural and functional characterization of nanobodies that neutralize Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.,Cornish K, Huo J, Jones L, Sharma P, Thrush JW, Abdelkarim S, Kipar A, Ramadurai S, Weckener M, Mikolajek H, Liu S, Buckle I, Bentley E, Kirby A, Han X, Laidlaw SM, Hill M, Eyssen L, Norman C, Le Bas A, Clarke J, James W, Stewart JP, Carroll M, Naismith JH, Owens RJ Open Biol. 2024 Jun;14(6):230252. doi: 10.1098/rsob.230252. Epub 2024 Jun 4. PMID:38835241[4] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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