Cited by 1,303SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchProtein Structure and Dynamicsvaccines and immunoinformatics approaches

Structure-based design of prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spikes

Open access
Hsieh, Ching-Lin, Goldsmith, Jory A., Schaub, Jeffrey M., DiVenere, Andrea M., Kuo, Hung-Che, Javanmardi, Kamyab, Le, Kevin C., Wrapp, Daniel +16 more·2020·Science

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Stabilizing the prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike: The development of therapeutic antibodies and vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is focused on the spike (S) protein that decorates the viral surface. A version of the spike ectodomain that includes two proline substitutions (S-2P) and stabilizes the prefusion conformation has been used to determine high-resolution structures. However, even S-2P is unstable and difficult to produce in mammalian cells. Hsieh et al. characterized many individual and combined structure-guided substitutions and identified a variant, named HexaPro, that retains the prefusion conformation but shows higher expression than S-2P and can also withstand heating and freezing. This version of the protein is likely to be useful in the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Science , this issue p. 1501

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.abd0826

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  • S-2P differs from the spike protein in the reference SARS-CoV-2 genome (NC_045512) by two amino acids, i.e., amino acids KV at sites 986 and 987 were replaced by PP.

    “Both mRNA encodes the same S-2P protein [5,6] which differ from the spike protein in the reference SARS-CoV-2 genome (NC_045512) by two amino acids, i.e., amino acids KV at sites 986 and 987 were replaced by PP to stabilize the resulting spike protein in the prefusion state to train the host immune system to recognize the virus before its entry into the host cell [7,8].”

    From Detailed Dissection and Critical Evaluation of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA Vaccines (2021) · cites this paper as [7]

    The supplied passage describing S-2P (section labeled Abstract; page unavailable) says it contains two consecutive proline substitutions in the S2 subunit that stabilize the prefusion spike. Our copy does not identify the original residues as KV, give positions 986 and 987, or compare the construct with reference genome NC_045512, so those specifics are not verified. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Selection involved K417N/E/T for six antibodies, E484K for five, and N501Y/T/H for three; these match mutations in circulating B.1.1.17/501Y.V1, B.1.351/501Y.V2, and B1.1.28/501.V3 (P.1) variants.

    “Notably, 6 of the antibodies selected for K417N, E or T, 5 selected for E484K and 3 selected for N501Y, T or H, which coincide with mutations present in the circulating B.1.1.17/501Y.V1, B.1.351/501Y.V2 and B1.1.28/501.V3 (P.1) variants that have been associated with rapidly increasing case numbers in particular locales14,17,18,36.”
  • Several circulating variants linked to rapidly rising case counts are especially prevalent in the UK (B.1.1.7/501Y.V1), South Africa (B.1.351/501Y.V2), and Brazil (P.1).

    “A number of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants that have been associated with rapidly increasing case numbers and have particular prevalence in the UK (B.1.1.7/501Y.V1), South Africa (B.1.351/501Y.V2) and Brazil (P.1)14,17,18,36.”
  • The S protein is considered the main antigen for vaccine design.

    “Therefore, the S protein is considered the main antigen for vaccine design.228–230”

    From Advances in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development (2022) · cites this paper as [230]

  • The trimeric S protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 plays a key role in mediating host cell invasion.

    “The trimeric S protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 plays a key role in mediating host cell invasion.”

    From Advances in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development (2022) · cites this paper as [230]

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Authors
Hsieh, C.-L., Goldsmith, J. A., Schaub, J. M., DiVenere, A. M., Kuo, H.-C., Javanmardi, K., Le, K. C., Wrapp, D., Lee, A. G., Liu, Y., Chou, C.-W., Byrne, P. O., Hjorth, C. K., Johnson, N. V., Ludes-Meyers, J., Nguyen, A. W., Park, J., Wang, N., Amengor, D., Lavinder, J. J., Ippolito, G. C., Maynard, J. A., Finkelstein, I. J., & McLellan, J. S.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Corresponding author
  • Maynard, Jennifer A.
  • Finkelstein, Ilya J.
  • McLellan, Jason S.
Venue
Science
Published
2020-09-18
Volume
369
Issue
6510
Pages
1501-1505
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W3044914269
Cited by
1,303
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 109 · 2025: 163 · 2024: 185 · 2023: 221 · 2022: 268 · 2021: 279 · 2020: 77
FWCI
27.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1453358)
  • National Institutes of Health (R01-AI127521, GM120554, GM124141, AI122753)
  • Welch Foundation (F-1808, F-1767)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Structure and Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, prefusion spike, protein stabilization, structure-guided protein engineering, proline substitution, protein thermal stability, freeze-thaw stability, COVID-19 vaccine development, serological diagnosis

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