tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Antiviral Res
. 2022 Dec 23;105509.
doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105509. Online ahead of print.
A new intracellular targeting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of the spike protein may act as a target to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 assembly
Longbo Hu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yongjie Tang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lingling Mei[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mengdi Liang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jinxian Huang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Xufei Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Liping Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jiajing Jiang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Leyi Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Fei Long[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jing Xiao[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Long Tan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shaohua Lu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Tao Peng[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a threat to global public health, underscoring the urgent need for the development of preventive and therapeutic measures. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which mediates receptor binding and subsequent membrane fusion to promote viral entry, is a major target for current drug development and vaccine design. The S protein comprises a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail (CT) at the C-terminus. CT truncation of the S protein has been previously reported to promote the infectivity of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been precisely elucidated. In addition, the CT of various viral membrane glycoproteins play an essential role in the assembly of virions, yet the role of the S protein CT in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear. In this study, through constructing a series of mutations of the CT of the S protein and analyzing their impact on the packaging of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2 virus, we identified V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] as a new intracellular targeting motif in the CT of the S protein, that regulates the transport and subcellular localization of the spike protein through the interactions with cytoskeleton and vesicular transport-related proteins, ARPC3, SCAMP3, and TUBB8, thereby modulating SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2 virion assembly. Either disrupting the V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] motif or reducing the expression of ARPC3, SCAMP3, and TUBB8 significantly repressed the assembly of the live SARS-CoV-2 virion, raising the possibility that the V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] motif and the host responsive pathways involved could be new drug targets for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results extend the understanding of the role played by the S protein CT in the assembly of pseudoviruses and live SARS-CoV-2 virions, which will facilitate the application of pseudoviruses to the study of SARS-CoV-2 and provide potential strategies for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: Assembly; Cytoplasmic tail; Intracellular targeting signal; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.
. 2022 Dec 23;105509.
doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105509. Online ahead of print.
A new intracellular targeting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of the spike protein may act as a target to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 assembly
Longbo Hu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yongjie Tang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lingling Mei[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mengdi Liang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jinxian Huang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Xufei Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Liping Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jiajing Jiang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Leyi Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Fei Long[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jing Xiao[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Long Tan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shaohua Lu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Tao Peng[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36572190
- DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105509
Abstract
Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a threat to global public health, underscoring the urgent need for the development of preventive and therapeutic measures. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which mediates receptor binding and subsequent membrane fusion to promote viral entry, is a major target for current drug development and vaccine design. The S protein comprises a large N-terminal extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail (CT) at the C-terminus. CT truncation of the S protein has been previously reported to promote the infectivity of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been precisely elucidated. In addition, the CT of various viral membrane glycoproteins play an essential role in the assembly of virions, yet the role of the S protein CT in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear. In this study, through constructing a series of mutations of the CT of the S protein and analyzing their impact on the packaging of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2 virus, we identified V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] as a new intracellular targeting motif in the CT of the S protein, that regulates the transport and subcellular localization of the spike protein through the interactions with cytoskeleton and vesicular transport-related proteins, ARPC3, SCAMP3, and TUBB8, thereby modulating SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2 virion assembly. Either disrupting the V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] motif or reducing the expression of ARPC3, SCAMP3, and TUBB8 significantly repressed the assembly of the live SARS-CoV-2 virion, raising the possibility that the V[SUB]1264[/SUB]L[SUB]1265[/SUB] motif and the host responsive pathways involved could be new drug targets for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results extend the understanding of the role played by the S protein CT in the assembly of pseudoviruses and live SARS-CoV-2 virions, which will facilitate the application of pseudoviruses to the study of SARS-CoV-2 and provide potential strategies for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: Assembly; Cytoplasmic tail; Intracellular targeting signal; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.