scholarly journals Cloning, Expression and Biophysical Characterization of a Yeast-expressed Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Hsiang Chen ◽  
Junfei Wei ◽  
Rakhi Tyagi Kundu ◽  
Rakesh Adhikari ◽  
Zhuyun Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Glycosylation Site ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Biophysical Characterization ◽  
Recombinant Receptor

ABSTRACTCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has now spread worldwide to infect approximately 50 million people, with over 1 million reported deaths, and a safe and effective vaccine remains urgently needed. Based on previous experience developing vaccines against SARS and MERS, we constructed three variants of the recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (residues 331-549) in yeast as follows: (1) a “wild type” RBD (RBD219-WT), (2) a deglycosylated form (RBD219-N1) by deleting the first N-glycosylation site, and (3) a combined deglycosylated and cysteine (C538A-mutated variant (RBD219-N1C1)). We compared the expression yields, biophysical characteristics, and functionality of the proteins produced from these constructs. Collectively, these three recombinant protein RBDs showed similar secondary and tertiary structure thermal stability and had the same affinity for their receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), suggesting that the selected deletion or mutations did not cause any significant structural changes or alteration of function. However, RBD219-N1C1 had a higher fermentation yield, was easier to purify, and had a lower tendency to form oligomers when compared to the other two proteins and was therefore selected for further vaccine development and evaluation.

scholarly journals Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Design: Fusion of Spike Glycoprotein Transmembrane Domain to Receptor-Binding Domain Induces Trimerization

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taha Azad ◽  
Ragunath Singaravelu ◽  
Mathieu J.F. Crupi ◽  
Taylor Jamieson ◽  
Jaahnavi Dave ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Protein Receptor

The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic presents an urgent need for an effective vaccine. Molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to the development of effective vaccine and therapeutic strategies. In the present study, we show that the fusion of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain to its transmembrane domain is sufficient to mediate trimerization. Our findings may have implications for vaccine development and therapeutic drug design strategies targeting spike trimerization. As global efforts for developing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are rapidly underway, we believe this observation is an important consideration for identifying crucial epitopes of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Heparin Inhibits Cellular Invasion by SARS-CoV-2: Structural Dependence of the Interaction of the Spike S1 Receptor-Binding Domain with Heparin

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 1700-1715
Author(s):  
Courtney J. Mycroft-West ◽  
Dunhao Su ◽  
Isabel Pagani ◽  
Timothy R. Rudd ◽  
Stefano Elli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain

AbstractThe dependence of development and homeostasis in animals on the interaction of hundreds of extracellular regulatory proteins with the peri- and extracellular glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate (HS) is exploited by many microbial pathogens as a means of adherence and invasion. Heparin, a widely used anticoagulant drug, is structurally similar to HS and is a common experimental proxy. Exogenous heparin prevents infection by a range of viruses, including S-associated coronavirus isolate HSR1. Here, we show that heparin inhibits severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) invasion of Vero cells by up to 80% at doses achievable through prophylaxis and, particularly relevant, within the range deliverable by nebulisation. Surface plasmon resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrate that heparin and enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin which is a clinical anticoagulant, bind and induce a conformational change in the spike (S1) protein receptor-binding domain (S1 RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. A library of heparin derivatives and size-defined fragments were used to probe the structural basis of this interaction. Binding to the RBD is more strongly dependent on the presence of 2-O or 6-O sulfate groups than on N-sulfation and a hexasaccharide is the minimum size required for secondary structural changes to be induced in the RBD. It is likely that inhibition of viral infection arises from an overlap between the binding sites of heparin/HS on S1 RBD and that of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. The results suggest a route for the rapid development of a first-line therapeutic by repurposing heparin and its derivatives as antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 and other members of the Coronaviridae.

scholarly journals Detection and Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain Neutralization by a Sensitive Competitive ELISA Assay

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1493
Author(s):  
Ahmed O. Shalash ◽  
Armira Azuar ◽  
Harrison Y. R. Madge ◽  
Naphak Modhiran ◽  
Alberto A. Amarilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Competitive Elisa ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Side Reactions ◽  
Elisa Assay ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Validation Parameters ◽  
Containment Measures

This protocol describes an ELISA-based procedure for accurate measurement of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-receptor binding domain (RBD) neutralization efficacy by murine immune serum. The procedure requires a small amount of S-protein/RBD and angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). A high-throughput, simple ELISA technique is employed. Plate-coated-RBDs are allowed to interact with the serum, then soluble ACE2 is added, followed by secondary antibodies and substrate. The key steps in this procedure include (1) serum heat treatment to prevent non-specific interactions, (2) proper use of blank controls to detect side reactions and eliminate secondary antibody cross-reactivity, (3) the addition of an optimal amount of saturating ACE2 to maximize sensitivity and prevent non-competitive co-occurrence of RBD-ACE2 binding and neutralization, and (4) mechanistically derived neutralization calculation using a calibration curve. Even manually, the protocol can be completed in 16 h for >30 serum samples; this includes the 7.5 h of incubation time. This automatable, high-throughput, competitive ELISA assay can screen a large number of sera, and does not require sterile conditions or special containment measures, as live viruses are not employed. In comparison to the ‘gold standard’ assays (virus neutralization titers (VNT) or plaque reduction neutralization titers (PRNT)), which are laborious and time consuming and require special containment measures due to their use of live viruses. This simple, alternative neutralization efficacy assay can be a great asset for initial vaccine development stages. The assay successfully passed conventional validation parameters (sensitivity, specificity, precision, and accuracy) and results with moderately neutralizing murine sera correlated with VNT assay results (R2 = 0.975, n = 25), demonstrating high sensitivity.

scholarly journals Comparative Immunogenicity of the Recombinant Receptor-Binding Domain of Protein S SARS-CoV-2 Obtained in Prokaryotic and Mammalian Expression Systems

Vaccines ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Iuliia A. Merkuleva ◽  
Dmitry N. Shcherbakov ◽  
Mariya B. Borgoyakova ◽  
Daniil V. Shanshin ◽  
Andrey P. Rudometov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Expression Systems ◽  
Mice Model ◽  
Mammalian Expression ◽  
Recombinant Receptor

The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the protein S SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be one of the appealing targets for developing a vaccine against COVID-19. The choice of an expression system is essential when developing subunit vaccines, as it ensures the effective synthesis of the correctly folded target protein, and maintains its antigenic and immunogenic properties. Here, we describe the production of a recombinant RBD protein using prokaryotic (pRBD) and mammalian (mRBD) expression systems, and compare the immunogenicity of prokaryotic and mammalian-expressed RBD using a BALB/c mice model. An analysis of the sera from mice immunized with both variants of the protein revealed that the mRBD expressed in CHO cells provides a significantly stronger humoral immune response compared with the RBD expressed in E.coli cells. A specific antibody titer of sera from mice immunized with mRBD was ten-fold higher than the sera from the mice that received pRBD in ELISA, and about 100-fold higher in a neutralization test. The data obtained suggests that mRBD is capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals The receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike is the key target of neutralizing antibody in human polyclonal sera

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara L. Steffen ◽  
E. Taylor Stone ◽  
Mariah Hassert ◽  
Elizabeth Geerling ◽  
Brian T. Grimberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibody Response ◽  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Antigenic Determinants ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Neutralization Capacity

AbstractNatural infection of SARS-CoV-2 in humans leads to the development of a strong neutralizing antibody response, however the immunodominant targets of the polyclonal neutralizing antibody response are still unknown. Here, we functionally define the role SARS-CoV-2 spike plays as a target of the human neutralizing antibody response. In this study, we identify the spike protein subunits that contain antigenic determinants and examine the neutralization capacity of polyclonal sera from a cohort of patients that tested qRT-PCR-positive for SARS-CoV-2. Using an ELISA format, we assessed binding of human sera to spike subunit 1 (S1), spike subunit 2 (S2) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike. To functionally identify the key target of neutralizing antibody, we depleted sera of subunit-specific antibodies to determine the contribution of these individual subunits to the antigen-specific neutralizing antibody response. We show that epitopes within RBD are the target of a majority of the neutralizing antibodies in the human polyclonal antibody response. These data provide critical information for vaccine development and development of sensitive and specific serological testing.

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