SARS-CoV-2 Binding and Neutralization Properties of Peptides Derived from N-Terminus of Human ACE2.

The binding properties of synthetic and recombinant peptides derived from N-terminal part of ACE2, the main receptor for SARS-CoV-2, were evaluated. Additionally, the ability of these peptides to prevent virus entry in vitro was addressed using both pseudovirus particles decorated with the S protein, as well as through infection of Vero cells with live SARS-CoV-2 virus. Surprisingly, in spite of effective binding to S protein, all linear peptides of various lengths failed to neutralize the viral infection in vitro. However, the P1st peptide that was chemically "stapled" in order to stabilize its alpha-helical structure was able to interfere with virus entry into ACE2-expressing cells. Interestingly, this peptide also neutralized pseudovirus particles decorated with S protein derived from the Omicron BA.1 virus, in spite of variations in key amino acid residues contacting ACE2.

Functional Profiling of In Vitro Reactivated Memory B Cells Following Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Gam-COVID-Vac Vaccination.

Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination have previously been demonstrated to elicit robust, yet somewhat limited immunity against the evolving variants of SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, reports performing side-by-side comparison of immune responses following infection vs. vaccination have been relatively scarce. The aim of this study was to compare B-cell response to adenovirus-vectored vaccination in SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals with that observed in the COVID-19 convalescent patients six months after the first encounter with the viral antigens. We set out to use a single analytical platform and performed comprehensive analysis of serum levels of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific and virus-neutralizing antibodies, frequencies of RBD-binding circulating memory B cells (MBCs), MBC-derived antibody-secreting cells, as well as RBD-specific and virus-neutralizing activity of MBC-derived antibodies after Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccination and/or natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, natural immunity was superior to Gam-COVID-Vac vaccination. The levels of neutralizing MBC-derived antibodies in the convalescent patients turned out to be significantly higher than those found following vaccination. Our results suggest that after six months, SARS-CoV-2-specific MBC immunity is more robust in COVID-19 convalescent patients than in Gam-COVID-Vac recipients. Collectively, our data unambiguously indicate that natural immunity outperforms Gam-COVID-Vac-induced immunity six months following recovery/vaccination, which should inform healthcare and vaccination decisions.

Constitutive and activation-dependent phosphorylation of lymphocyte phosphatase-associated phosphoprotein (LPAP).

Lymphocyte phosphatase-associated phosphoprotein (LPAP) is a small transmembrane protein expressed exclusively in lymphocytes. LPAP is a component of a supramolecular complex composed of the phosphatase CD45, the co-receptor CD4, and the kinase Lck. In contrast to its immunologically important partners, the function of LPAP is unknown. We hypothesized that the biological role of LPAP may be determined by analyzing LPAP phosphorylation. In the present study, we identified LPAP phosphorylation sites by site-directed mutagenesis, phospho-specific antibodies, and protein immunoprecipitation coupled to mass spectrometry analysis. Our results confirmed previous reports that Ser-99, Ser-153, and Ser-163 are phosphorylated, as well as provided evidence for the phosphorylation of Ser-172. Using various SDS-PAGE techniques, we detected and quantified a set of LPAP phosphoforms that were assigned to a combination of particular phosphorylation events. The phosphorylation of LPAP appears to be a tightly regulated process. Our results support the model: following phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or TCR/CD3 activation of T cells, LPAP is rapidly dephosphorylated at Ser-99 and Ser-172 and slowly phosphorylated at Ser-163. Ser-153 exhibited a high basal level of phosphorylation in both resting and activated cells. Therefore, we suggest that LPAP may function as a co-regulator of T-cell signaling.