A fusion peptide in the spike protein of MERS coronavirus

Alsaadi, E. A. J., Neuman, B. W. and Jones, I. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7738-2516 (2019) A fusion peptide in the spike protein of MERS coronavirus. Viruses, 11 (9). 825. ISSN 1999-4915 doi: 10.3390/v11090825

Abstract/Summary

Coronaviruses represent current and emerging threats for many species, including humans. Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is responsible for sporadic infections in mostly Middle Eastern countries, with occasional transfer elsewhere. A key step in the MERS-CoV replication cycle is the fusion of the virus and host cell membranes mediated by the virus spike protein, S. The location of the fusion peptide within the MERS S protein has not been precisely mapped. We used isolated peptides and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV) to demonstrate membrane binding for a peptide located near the N-terminus of the S2 domain. Key residues required for activity were mapped by amino acid replacement and their relevance in vitro tested by their introduction into recombinant MERS S protein expressed in mammalian cells. Mutations preventing membrane binding in vitro also abolished S-mediated syncytium formation consistent with the identified peptide acting as the fusion peptide for the S protein of MERS-CoV.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/86068
Identification Number/DOI	10.3390/v11090825
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences > Biomedical Sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords	coronavirus, MERS, spike protein, peptide, membrane, fusion assay
Publisher	MDPI
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item