SARS-CoV-2 entry and fusion are independent of ACE2 localization to lipid rafts.

ABSTRACT: Membrane fusion occurs at the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 replication, during entry of the virus, and later during the formation of multinucleated cells called syncytia. Fusion is mediated by the binding of the viral Spike protein to its receptor ACE2. Lipid rafts are dynamic nanodomains enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids. Rafts can act as platforms for entry of different viruses by localizing virus receptors, and attachment factors to the same membrane domains. Here, we first demonstrate that cholesterol depletion by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin inhibits Spike-mediated fusion and entry. To further study the role of ACE2 lipid raft localization in SARS-CoV-2 fusion and entry, we designed a GPI-anchored ACE2 construct. Both ACE2 and ACE2-GPI proteins were similarly expressed at the plasma

SUBMITTER: Bolland W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11784143 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature