Cholesterol and Ceramide Facilitate Membrane Fusion Mediated by the Fusion Peptide of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein.

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells is mediated by the Spike (S) protein of the viral envelope. The S protein is composed of two subunits: S1 that induces binding to the host cell via its interaction with the ACE2 receptor of the cell surface and S2 that triggers fusion between viral and cellular membranes. Fusion by S2 depends on its heptad repeat domains that bring membranes close together and its fusion peptide (FP) that interacts with and perturbs the membrane structure to trigger fusion. Recent studies have suggested that cholesterol and ceramide lipids from the cell surface may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells, but their exact mode of action remains unknown. We have used a combination of in vitro liposome-liposome and in situ cell-cell fusion assays to st

SUBMITTER: Niort K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10500581 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature