ABSTRACT
Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is initiated by binding of the viral Spike protein to host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), followed by fusion of viral and host membranes. Although antibodies that block this interaction are in emergency use as early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapies, the precise determinants of neutralization potency remain unknown. We discovered a series of antibodies that potently block ACE2 binding but exhibit divergent neutralization efficacy against the live virus. Strikingly, these neutralizing antibodies can inhibit or enhance Spike-mediated membrane fusion and formation of syncytia, which are associated with chronic tissue damage in individuals with COVID-19. As revealed by cryoelectron microscopy, multiple structures of Spike-antibody complexes have distinct binding modes that not only block ACE2 binding but also alter the Spike protein conformational cycle triggered by ACE2 binding. We show that stabilization of different Spike conformations leads to modulation of Spike-mediated membrane fusion with profound implications for COVID-19 pathology and immunity.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Neutralizing/chemistry , Giant Cells/metabolism , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/chemistry , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/immunology , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism , Animals , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , Antibodies, Neutralizing/metabolism , Antigen-Antibody Complex/chemistry , Antigen-Antibody Complex/metabolism , Binding Sites , CHO Cells , COVID-19/pathology , COVID-19/virology , Cricetinae , Cricetulus , Cryoelectron Microscopy , Giant Cells/cytology , Humans , Membrane Fusion , Peptide Library , Protein Binding , Protein Domains , Protein Structure, Quaternary , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , SARS-CoV-2/metabolism , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolismABSTRACT
In vitro antibody selection against pathogens from naïve combinatorial libraries can yield various classes of antigen-specific binders that are distinct from those evolved from natural infection1-4. Also, rapid neutralizing antibody discovery can be made possible by a strategy that selects for those interfering with pathogen and host interaction5. Here we report the discovery of antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, from a highly diverse naïve human Fab library. Lead antibody 5A6 blocks the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike from binding to the host receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero E6 cells, and reduces viral replication in reconstituted human nasal and bronchial epithelium models. 5A6 has a high occupancy on the viral surface and exerts its neutralization activity via a bivalent binding mode to the tip of two neighbouring RBDs at the ACE2 interaction interface, one in the "up" and the other in the "down" position, explaining its superior neutralization capacity. Furthermore, 5A6 is insensitive to several spike mutations identified in clinical isolates, including the D614G mutant that has become dominant worldwide. Our results suggest that 5A6 could be an effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into nearly all cell types. However, the molecular mechanism of its pluripotency is still unclear. Oct3/4, Sox2 and Nanog are important factors of pluripotency. Oct3/4 (hereafter referred to as Oct4), in particular, has been an irreplaceable factor in the induction of pluripotency in adult cells. Proteins interacting with Oct4 and Nanog have been identified via affinity purification and mass spectrometry. These data, together with iterative purifications of interacting proteins allowed a protein interaction network to be constructed. The network currently includes 77 transcription factors, all of which are interconnected in one network. In-depth studies of some of these transcription factors show that they all recruit the NuRD complex. Hence, transcription factor clustering and chromosomal remodeling are key mechanism used by embryonic stem cells. Studies using RNA interference suggest that more pluripotency genes are yet to be discovered via protein-protein interactions. More work is required to complete and curate the embryonic stem cell protein interaction network. Analysis of a saturated protein interaction network by system biology tools can greatly aid in the understanding of the embryonic stem cell pluripotency network.
ABSTRACT
Although the innate immune response is triggered by the formation of a stable assembly of pathogen-recognition receptors (PRRs) onto the pathogens, the driving force that enables this PRR-PRR interaction is unknown. Here, we show that serine proteases, which are activated during infection, participate in associating with the PRRs. Inhibition of serine proteases gravely impairs the PRR assembly. Using yeast two-hybrid and pull-down methods, we found that two serine proteases in the horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda are able to bind to the following three core members of PRRs: galactose-binding protein, Carcinolectin-5 and C-reactive protein. These two serine proteases are (1) Factor C, which activates the coagulation pathway, and (2) C2/Bf, a protein from the complement pathway. By systematic molecular dissection, we show that these serine proteases interact with the core "pathogen-recognition complex" via their complement control protein modules.
