Two Receptor Binding Strategy of SARS-CoV-2 Is Mediated by Both the N-Terminal and Receptor-Binding Spike Domain.

ABSTRACT: It is not well understood why severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 spreads much faster than other β-coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV. In a previous publication, we predicted the binding of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike to sialic acids (SAs). Here, we experimentally validate this interaction and present simulations that reveal a second possible interaction between SAs and the spike protein via a binding site located in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). The predictions from molecular-dynamics simulations and the previously-published 2D-Zernike binding-site recognition approach were validated through flow-induced dispersion analysis (FIDA)─which reveals the capability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike to bind to SA-containing (g

SUBMITTER: Monti M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10801686 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature