Journal
MBIO
Volume 13, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02030-21
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2; adaptive mutations; coronavirus; COVID-19; evolution; genomics; glycoproteins; infectious disease; respiratory viruses; sarbecovirus; spike
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [1845890]
- National Institutes of Health [P20GM121307-04S1, P20GM134974]
- Rockefeller Foundation [2021 HTH 010]
- COVID-19 Fast Grant from Emergent Ventures at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University [2239]
- Div Of Biological Infrastructure
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1845890] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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This article reviews the process of binding between the spike protein of coronaviruses and their receptor, as well as the role of host proteases in promoting viral-cell membrane fusion. The implications of SARS-CoV-2 mutations on cell entry are discussed, along with a model for activating fusion competency in sarbecoviruses and a framework for understanding the interplay between humoral immunity and the molecular evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike. The relevance of the Canyon Hypothesis in understanding the evolutionary trajectories of viral entry proteins during sustained intraspecies transmission of a novel viral pathogen is emphasized.
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrates the threat posed by novel coronaviruses to human health. Coronaviruses share a highly conserved cell entry mechanism mediated by the spike protein, the sole product of the S gene. The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrates the threat posed by novel coronaviruses to human health. Coronaviruses share a highly conserved cell entry mechanism mediated by the spike protein, the sole product of the S gene. The structural dynamics by which the spike protein orchestrates infection illuminate how antibodies neutralize virions and how S mutations contribute to viral fitness. Here, we review the process by which spike engages its proteinaceous receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and how host proteases prime and subsequently enable efficient membrane fusion between virions and target cells. We highlight mutations common among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern and discuss implications for cell entry. Ultimately, we provide a model by which sarbecoviruses are activated for fusion competency and offer a framework for understanding the interplay between humoral immunity and the molecular evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike. In particular, we emphasize the relevance of the Canyon Hypothesis (M. G. Rossmann, J Biol Chem 264:14587-14590, 1989) for understanding evolutionary trajectories of viral entry proteins during sustained intraspecies transmission of a novel viral pathogen.
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